TMNT 100 Theme
by Applepye
Summary: This takes place after Turtles Forever and Donny is fascinated by the multiverse and all the possibilities that exist. Hun is a mutant turtle and the Turtles are nineteen, for the bulk of the story but they start out at eighteen though. There will also be violence in the story along with serious injuries and some character death but not the main Turtles.
1. Chapter 1

So I decided to do a one hundred themed challenge and make it into a chapter story. I rearranged them so that they would fit with what I had in mind. This is the one that will eventually have female turtles in it. If you don't like the guys to have relations with females then don't start reading and just ignore this story. I created these female characters back when I was a kid and ever since I started writing, I have wanted to write a story with them.

This takes place after Turtles Forever and Donny is fascinated by the multiverse and all the possibilities that exist. Hun is a mutant turtle and the Turtles are nineteen, for the bulk of the story but they start out at eighteen though. There will be het sex and slash sex and only one instance of t-cest (I don't think sex with their counterparts from other dimensions qualifies as t-cest). There will also be violence in the story along with serious injuries and some character death but not the main Turtles, Donny will see some death in his portal device though.

Leatherhead and Donny are a couple and the other couples will be revealed as the story progresses.

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 1

Puzzle

Warning: contains dub-con.

Donny went out alone. He knew that it was a bad idea. They still had enemies even though Shredder had been defeated.

Their experience with the multiverse had a major impact on the genius turtle. When his seemingly childlike counterpart managed to make a portal devise out of junk it made Donny feel inadequate in some ways.

If his counterpart could make a portal devise, then he was going to as well. It had become his new obsession.

He was working late and everyone else had gone to sleep, including Leatherhead who had moved into the lair. Donny didn't want to bother anyone, they were all already giving him a hard time about his project as it was, so he headed out to the dump by himself.

As he sat in the holding cell deep within Bishop's compound he had come to the conclusion that it had been a bad idea.

He didn't know how long he had been there; he had been drugged for a good portion of the time. He knew Bishop had done something to him but he wasn't sure what. All he knew was that he felt different. Maybe it was just the drugs.

Two large guards entered his cell and dragged him into another room. They dropped him to the floor under a spot light and Donny knew that he was being used as bate.

He tried to move but his head spun and he had to close his eyes to quell the sensation. Bile rose in his throat and all he wanted to do was sleep.

He heard the commotion and knew that his brothers had come for him and, by the sound of things, Leatherhead was with them. All he could do was wait.

It was hard for him to follow all that was going on. When his brothers reached him, their words were muffled and there looked to be more of them than there should have been.

There was a lot of yelling and Leatherhead lifted him up. It felt like his soul was being lifted from his body, he was so disoriented. He was numb and in pain at the same time.

Leonardo yelled something. It sounded urgent whatever it was.

He tried to keep himself curled up so that he was easier for Leatherhead to carry but it was hard, he was just so weak.

He must have passed out because the next thing he knew was that he was outside. The cool breeze helped with his nausea but his body still felt heavy. He hated feeling so useless.

Donny opened his eyes long enough to notice that the sun was starting to come up. He knew that they were going to have to find shelter fast.

He heard Raphael say something and Leatherhead darted off in a different direction. The cool air was soon replaced with the stuffiness of a roof top shed.

Leatherhead's hands moved over Donatello's body, most likely looking for a tracking device.

"I think we're safe here," Raph mumbled, looking out one of the windows. "We'll be stuck here until nightfall."

"I'm not finding any tracking devices on him," Leatherhead stated, laying Donny gingerly on the floor. "As long as they didn't see us come in here and as long as no one needs to get something out of the shed, we should be safe."

"Do you think Mikey and Leo are okay," Raph asked, keeping his gaze out the window.

"We will know tonight when we return to the lair," Leatherhead stated as a matter of fact. "Until then, we should try to get some sleep."

Anything else they had to say went unheard as Donny drifted into unconsciousness.

When he awoke, judging by the light that was coming through the small window, it was midday. His head was clear and when he moved to sit up he was pleased to discover that his nausea was gone. Despite that, he still felt strange.

He looked around the small shed and saw Raph staring at him. Their eyes stayed locked for a few heartbeats then Donny pried his gaze away to continue to look around, only to discover that Leatherhead was staring at him too.

"Hey, Kroki," Donny said, adding his pet name for Leatherhead as a term of endearment.

Donny's heart started to hammer in his chest when he realized that the look in Leatherhead's eyes was one of lust. Chancing a quick glance back at Raph, Donny noticed the same look in his brother's eyes.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Donny asked as he scooted back away from them. He couldn't go far in the small structure and his back hit the wall before he was able to go very far.

Leatherhead made the first move. He was so quick that Donny barely had any time to react before he was dragged over and pinned to the floor.

Donny would normally submit to Leatherhead willingly, he did it all the time but there was something about his mate that frightened Donny. Leatherhead was usually a private individual and would never act in such a way in front of someone.

Leatherhead pulled Donny's tail down with his own and Donny felt the tip of Leatherhead's penis searching for his cloaca. "I'm not prepped," Donny whimpered as he tried to pull away.

Despite his protests, Leatherhead bucked his hips and pushed inside. Donny was shocked when it didn't hurt, it should have hurt. He hadn't realized before but he was somehow already wet and ready.

He felt his own erection start to swell inside his tail. Leatherhead was aware enough to pull back and let it out so it wouldn't hurt Donny.

It felt wrong to have sex in front of Raph but Donny's hormones were taking over and he stopped caring. He kissed along Leatherhead's neck and up his jawline.

Donny climaxed, calling out "Kroki" as his fingers dug into Leatherhead's shoulders.

Leatherhead was soon to follow, burying himself deep as he released his seed.

Shame washed over Donny and he was unable to look up at his brother. He hadn't even confessed to his family about his relationship with Leatherhead or that he was gay. Yet there he was, lying on the floor with Leatherhead's cum seeping from his tail.

He was so lost in his guilt that he hadn't realized that Raph had moved to his side. He jumped when he opened his eyes to find his brother moving over him.

Donny knew for a fact that his brother wasn't gay. He had that crush on Joi a few years back and had expressed his desire for women several times.

"What did Bishop do?" Donny whimpered as he felt Raph enter him. "I know you wouldn't be doing this on your own."

Donny wondered what was going through Raph's head. Was he aware of what he was doing or was it like a dream? When he looked into those golden eyes, they appeared to be sad but at the same time filled with a primal need.

Donny had never heard Raph churr before. It was deeper than his and when they churred together it was almost harmonic. Unlike Leatherhead, Raph didn't make any moves for affection and pulled up anytime Donny attempted it.

"You don't really want to do this do you?" Donny asked, bringing his hand up to cup Raph's cheek. His only response was the tears that fell from Raph's eyes as he closed them and leaned into the touch. "It's okay," Donny soothed but Raph turned his head away.

The two took turns on Donny until well into the evening.

It had been a while since Raph had finished and when Donny looked over at Leatherhead, expecting him to approach again, the large crocodile was sitting with his back to Donny.

Sitting up, Donny looked around the room and found Raph sitting in a corner. They had come back to their senses and were facing their guilt.

"Are you guys okay," Donny asked, tucking his legs so that he was sitting on his feet.

There was a long silence then Raph said, "After what we just did to you, you're asking us if we're okay?"

"Did we hurt you?" Leatherhead asked over his shoulder, unable to look at Donny.

"I'm fine," Donny tried to assure them but his voice cracked. "Bishop did something to me... to us. What you did wasn't your fault."

"I can't believe I did that," Raph mumbled to himself. "You're my brother."

"You weren't yourself," Donny offered. "Please, don't blame yourself. I'm fine." He looked over at Leatherhead. "Really I am. You didn't hurt me."

He crawled over to Raph. "I don't know why Bishop did what he did or what his ultimate goal may be but please don't let it come between us. Don't grant him that victory."

"Like hell I'm gonna let Bishop win at anything," Raph scoffed.

"Then come out of the corner," Donny pulled on Raph's arm, "and stop sulking."

With a slight nod, Raph got up and together they walked over to where Leatherhead was sitting. Their large crocodile friend stood as they approached and turned to embrace Donny. "I am so sorry, my love."

Clearing his throat to get their attention, Raph then asked, "My love?"

Blushing, Donny pulled away from Leatherhead and nodded. "We've been together for almost a year now."

"And this is the first I'm hearing about it?" Raph looked between them. "Am I the last to know? You know, I'm not homophobic or anything. There was no reason to keep this from me."

"You're the first to know, actually," Donny corrected. "We weren't sure how the family would react."

Donny noticed Raph's face darken as he looked away, "You guys are together, so not only did I force myself on my brother, but I did it in front of his boyfriend. How fucked up is that?"

"I hold no ill feelings towards you, my friend." Leatherhead placed his hand on Raph's shoulder. "As for Bishop," he growled. "He will pay."

"You're damn right he will." Raph agreed. "Why the hell would he want to make it so that we would wanna fuck Donny?"

"You didn't need to put it so crudely," Donny glared at Raph.

"That's what it was," Raph grumbled. "Nothing more than a crude act. Don't get me wrong. I care about you, Don, but I don't usually desire you and in that moment, I didn't care about what you wanted or that it was wrong."

"Well, it's over," Donny walked over towards the door. "The sun's gone down. We should get back to the lair. I still feel a little strange and I want to take a nap."

"You sure you're okay?" Raph walked up to Donny and looked him in the eye. Even in the dimming light, Raph's eyes seemed to shine.

"I'm fine," Donny insisted. "I just need to lie down."

"Okay," Raph nodded and carefully opened the door to make sure that it was safe.

When he deemed that the coast was clear, the trio made their way back into the sewers. Donny pushed himself to keep up but his body was still weak. By the time they got down into the sewers, he was panting for breath.

Noticing that Donny was falling behind, Leatherhead turned around and picked him up. They made a quick detour to Leatherhead's old lair so that they could all wash then headed straight for the lair.

When they entered, Mikey and Leo rushed to greet them. "We were starting to get worried," Leo said as he approached. They both looked like they hadn't slept all day.

"We stayed in a storage shed all day," Raph explained. "We weren't sure if the sewers would be flooded with agents or not or if Donny had a tracking devise on him."

"By the time we reached the storage shed, the sun had come out and Donatello was sick so we decided to stay put until dark," Leatherhead added. "Donatello is still weak."

"Take him to his lab to get some rest," Leo said then shifted his attention to Raph. "How do you guys feel? Any… odd feelings?"

"No," Raph answered right away. "Why?"

Leo was tense as he shook his head and responded, "No reason. I'm going to bed." Without another word, he turned and headed straight for his room

Donny was able to catch a glance at Mikey before Leatherhead carried him into his lab. The youngest Turtle looked distraught and on the verge of tears.

"They were affected too," Donny mumbled as Leatherhead put him down. "Why would Bishop do this?"

"I do not know," Leatherhead soothed. "I can only assume that he wanted to cause discomfort within your family."

"Are you really not mad at Raph?"

"I assure you that I am not," Leatherhead smiled and pulled the blanket over Donny. "There will be time to worry about them later. For now, get some sleep."

"I love you, Kroki," Donny said, running his hand down Leatherhead's arm.

"I love you too," Leatherhead leaned in and nuzzled Donny's neck.

Though his mid was racing, something that usually kept him awake, it wasn't long before Donny drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 2

Bloody

Warning: Violence, near character death and details of injuries.

Pairing Leatherhead/Don

They always fought.

It was a daily occurrence. Donny had learned to tune it out; he didn't even know what they were fighting over. The end of the argument was signaled with the slam of a door as Raph left the lair.

Leatherhead was lying curled up in the nest like bed that he shared with Donny while Don worked on one of his many projects. When they finally came out to the family, it was to unconditional love and support. Leatherhead and Don started to share a room and Donny loved waking up every morning wrapped in Leatherhead's arms. Don had no idea how Leatherhead managed to get to sleep when Raph and Leo were yelling at each other.

Shutting off his computer, Don grabbed a book and curled up, leaning on Leatherhead to read.

The hours passed. It was nothing new. Raph had the habit of staying out well past midnight, returning only because Splinter had requested that he not stay out so late.

It was only a quarter past eleven when Donny's shell-cell started to ring. He got up to answer his phone, thinking that it would be Raph telling him that he was staying at Casey's for the night. "Yeah," Don answered.

"Help," Raph's voice come over the line in a whisper.

"Raph?" Donny felt a surge of panic and clicked on the tracker. "What's going on?" He woke Leatherhead then rushed from his lab as he switched his phone to speaker, flagging Leo over as he did.

Mikey and Splinter saw the panic on Donny's face and rushed over to see what was going on as Leatherhead made his way out of the lab.

"I was attacked," Raph's raspy voice was barely loud enough for them to hear so they all leaned in close. "Hun and his Dragons managed to…. I'm so tired and I can't hide because they can follow the trail of blood."

"Raph, whatever happens, keep your shell-cell on you so we can find you," Donny instructed as they grabbed their gear and rushed from the lair.

"I'm sorry," Raph sobbed. It wasn't often that they heard their brother cry and when he did it meant that he was under a lot of emotional stress.

"Just keep moving," Splinter said, keeping pace with his sons.

"I can't," Raph said with a grunt. "I'm too hurt. I can hear them coming. I'm sorry, father. I'm sorry. I should have been a better son."

"Raph, we're on our way," Leo shouted. "Just hang on."

"They're here," Raph whispered then the line went dead.

"Donatello?" Splinter pleaded.

"I still have a signal," Donny reassured them. "I just hope that he still has his cell."

As they approached the signal they could hear Raph's screams of pain followed by the laughter and cheers of men, long before they saw the building. They rushed in, without hesitation and the thugs scattered. Donny caught a glimpse of Hun, covered in blood, before he disappeared into the darkness.

Ever since he was mutated into a turtle by the mutagen from the alternate universe, Hun had upped his game. Without the Shredder to rein him in, he was more ruthless and violent than before. He sold drugs and weapons made from Triceraton technology and his numbers have swollen from absorbing the members from all the other gangs. The former leaders of those gangs have yet to be found.

There wasn't much of a fight. The Purple Dragons fled so quickly that Donny was only able to get two hits in before he stood without an opponent.

"Raphael!" Splinter gasped, dropping his stick and rushing to the middle of the room.

Donny turned in time to see Mikey drop to his knees at the sight of their brother. Tears filled Leo's eyes and Donny could see the anger behind them and the desire to hit someone. Leatherhead was next to Donny and placed his hand on Don's carapace. Donny was afraid to look down; the wet sounds of his brother's labored breathing making him fear the worst but at least, for the moment, he was alive.

When he did look down, Donny couldn't contain the cry that escaped him. Leatherhead pulled him close, fearing that he would collapse.

Raph was in a pool of his own blood. His face was so swollen that his eyes could not be seen but it was apparent that the bridge of his beak was broken and that his jaw had been dislocated. Blood seeped from the left eye but Donny couldn't tell if it came from the eye socket or if there was a laceration on his face.

Burns and cuts covered the bruised emerald skin. His shoulders looked out of socket and his fingers were broken. Two daggers were stuck on either side, just above the hip and piercing the bridge. He wasn't sure if all of that happened before or after they had hobbled him by breaking his ankles.

The worst part was when Donny looked at Raph's tail. They had stuck one of his sai through the tip of his tail, pinning it down and stuck a bat into his cloaca and left them there.

Splinter soothed him, kneeling down next to his head and placing his hand gently on top. "You are safe now, my son. Your family is here." Donny doubted Raph could hear him; he had to have been in shock.

Leo pulled out his shell-cell and Donny pulled out of Leatherhead's arms to rush to Mikey's side. He could see the trauma in his little brother's eyes at seeing the strongest in their group broken and defiled.

"Karai?" Leo said into his phone. "I'm sorry to call you so late but you offered a truce and I don't know anyone else to call. We need your help. Hun… he attacked Raph and now Raph…." He had to stop in order to regain control. He was quiet for a while as he listened to Karai. "Raph's hurt bad. Can you track this signal?" He fell silent again then managed to choke out, "Thank you."

He turned to face his family, "She's on her way. She said that her medical team is preparing for him now."

"Can we trust her?" Donny asked, while he cradled Mikey in his lap.

"Do we have a choice?" Leo said, fighting back his own tears. He pointed to Raph but spoke to Don, "Can you tend to injuries on this scale?"

Shaking his head, Donny choked out his answer, "No."

Leo then turned to Leatherhead, "Do you think you can?"

"No," Leatherhead answered. "I cannot."

"So we get our help from Karai," Leo said with his eyes fixed on Raph. "That or we watch him die."

"Look what they did to him," Mikey whimpered. "They stuck things in him. There's so much blood."

Mikey reached out for Raph but when Donny realized that he was reaching for the bat, he pulled Mikey's hand back. "No, Mikey. Let the doctors remove it."

"I don't want Karai to see him with that in him," Mikey cried, trying to pull his hand free. "He wouldn't want her to see him with that in him."

"You'll cause more damage," Donny said as he held tight to Mikey wrist. "If you pull it out, he'll bleed more and he could die before he gets the help he needs."

"Let me at least pull out the sai," Mikey pleaded.

"Settle down, Michelangelo," Splinter's voice was both soft yet firm. "I know you want to try to save your brother humiliation but doing so will kill him. Please, do not touch anything."

Mikey relented and just sat there, sobbing in Donny's arms.

Somehow, Splinter managed to get Raph to settle down and his breathing leveled out. Every time Raph took in a gurgling breath, Donny feared it would be his last. It's amazing how time seems to slow down when the life of a loved one was on the line. However, Karai and her team arrived at their location within ten minutes.

As soon as she entered the building she stopped at stared at the horror in front of her. "Hun has truly become a monster," her voice trembled as she spoke and she struggled to keep her composure. She looked at Leo, "We will do all that we can for him."

Her Foot soldiers, a few mutants included, rushed from a van, the sight of Raph staggered them all but they collected their composure quickly. They surrounded Raph and assessed his injuries, placing a brace around his neck just in case. Another injected Raph then looked up to see the concern on Splinter's face. "It's just morphine," the soldier informed him. "A lot of it, to help with the pain."

It took six soldiers to lift Raph onto the gurney and they strapped him down then rushed him over to the van. They allowed Splinter to ride with them but the others had to ride with Karai.

As they made their way to Foot headquarters, Leo called Casey and April. He kept his conversation with them short, leaving out the details but not sugar coating the truth either. He made sure that they prepared themselves for the worst.

Once at the Foot headquarters, they were led to a room where they could wait while Raph was rushed in to surgery. As Karai turned to leave the room, Leo called after her, "Please, save my brother."

She turned to look at him and there was sadness in her eyes that Donny had never seen before. "Dr. Chaplin will do all that he can." They all knew that she was not going to make any promises beyond that.

Casey and April showed up and together they waited for news. April sat down to comfort Mikey; he had been in a state of shock since seeing Raph. Casey sat off by himself, looking wan from the shock and fear of losing his best friend as he stared off at nothing. Splinter sat in a chair and meditated while Leo paced the room. Donny could only stare at the clock while leaning against Leatherhead.

As the hours passed, Leo finally sat down and Mikey eventually fell asleep with his head on April's lap. After about seven hours, Chaplin walked into the room carrying a thick file. "I brought you this, Donatello. I thought you would like a read out of all that we did."

April woke Mikey up and they sat holding each other's hands as they waited for the news.

"How's Raph," Leo stood while Donny accepted the file. "Is he going to make it?"

"He's stable," Chaplin answered then struggled to find his voice. "But critical. We had to… cut down his plastron and open him up to repair the internal damage and there was… a lot…. We had to… remove some of his lower intestine; it was just too damaged from the… b… bat. I can't… believe…"

Chaplin stared off in shock for a moment. He was a scientist and a genius but, despite working for the foot, had probably seen nothing worse than a stab wound or broken bone. Even a dead body was easier to handle than seeing what was done to Raph.

Chaplin took a deep breath, and then continued. "His heart stopped twice while we were working but it didn't take much to get it started again. The best news is that, despite the damage to his face, the loss of an eye, and a mild concussion, he suffered no brain damage and most of the breaks were all clean and easily set so there should be little lingering effects, maybe some arthritis down the road. He will need extra support but it shouldn't cripple him, too much. We have him in a medically induced coma so he can heal without being in pain. His body has suffered a lot of trauma…. It's all in the file."

"Thank you," Splinter said as he reached out his hand. "Thank you for giving my son a fighting chance."

"He's not out of the woods yet," Chaplin choked out, taking Splinter's hand. "He could still suffer organ failure, develop a blood clot, or hemorrhage. He is being monitored but, for the most part, we've done all we can do at this point."

"May I go sit with him," Splinter pleaded.

"Yeah," Chaplin nodded. "I'll take you to him. I warn you, it may be a bit overwhelming. He's in a full body cast and his jaw is wired shut."

"I understand," Splinter nodded and Chaplin led him away.

Donny sat reading the file. He figured that the reason the Purple Dragons had avoided damaging Raph's head too much was because they wanted him conscious while they tortured him. And they did torture him. Despite himself, he imagined what they must have done to him.

The injury that slowed him down and prevented him from being able to hide must have been one or both of the daggers in his sides. Once they found him they probably hit him in the face to knock him down then hobbled him to insure that he wouldn't get away again but he couldn't figure out why they chose to dislocate the joint as opposed to breaking them. Maybe they didn't think about it and just did it.

The rest of it could have come in any order. The violation, though, had to have been the hardest for Raph to endure. He knew his brother was going to be a different turtle after all that was done to him.

After a few hours, Mikey insisted that April take him to the store. He wanted to get Raph what he was planning on buying him for Christmas. He wanted to get it before Raph woke up so it would be one of the first things he saw.

April agreed, not wanting to point out that it would be a long time before Raph woke up. She was willing to do anything Mikey needed to get thought his trauma. An hour later Mikey came running in with his gift for Raph. "Can I go see Raph now?"

"Sure," Donny walked with Mikey and found someone to lead them to Raph's room. When they entered the dimly lit room, Mikey broke down and cried for a moment before he was able to get himself back under control long enough to finish his task.

He pulled the box out of the store bag and Donny could then see that it was a Princess Belle doll from the Animators' Collection.

Ever since they were kids, Raph had an affinity for princesses and in particular Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she was the one who had saved the prince from his curse. He believed, for a while, that they were princes cursed and that all they needed was for a princess, like Belle, to come and free them.

He collected things to give to her and learned all the things that a princess would like. He was determined to be the one to win her heart and break the curse. When Splinter told him the truth, Raph didn't take it well. He never let go of the dream, even though he knew better.

Mikey made quick work of the box and had the doll out so quickly that Donny didn't have the heart to tell him that Raph probably would have preferred that it stayed in the box. Mikey positioned the doll on the table to the right of Raph since he was missing his left eye.

Months passed and Raph's body healed but he did not wake up. He lost the muscle that he had worked so hard to gain. Physical therapists came in to move his legs in order to prevent blood clots and to prevent the muscles from tightening.

Mikey kept the doll in pristine condition, brushing her hair and keeping her free of dust to insure that she was beautiful when Raph did wake up. "It's gonna be his first new doll," Mikey said as he tended to her. "Not one from the trash that he has to fix up but one that is brand new."

When Casey visited, he would turn the game on and watch it, sitting next to Raph. They hadn't missed a game together in nearly two years, since the Turtles got back from the future, and Casey wasn't about to break that record.

Day in and day out they visited Raph, giving him comfort and encouragement. Then one day, while Donny was sitting next to the bed and reading to Raph, his eye opened. When he noticed, Donny felt so much joy that he started to cry. Raph still had a long way to go but he finally took the first step on the road to recovery.


	3. Chapter 3

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 3

Breathe Again

Raph continued to improve over the months since he woke up. It had been nearly seven months since he was attacked and the Turtles have been staying at the Foot headquarters ever since.

Leo watched as Raph went through his physical therapy, he had improved so much. When it first started, his brother's struggle to walk was painful to watch and yet, inspiring at the same time. Raph could have given up but instead pushed himself. There was determination in his eye and Leo was sure that he planned on seeking out Hun as soon as he was physically able.

Leo wasn't going to kid himself. Raph was planning on killing Hun one day or die trying. Leo didn't blame him and he knew that when that time came, he would be beside his brother, making sure Raph got the final blow.

But that was going to take some time. Raph's once muscular body had dwindled down to a fraction of its former size though he had gained of it back. He started out suffering from equilibrium problems and headaches due to the loss of his left eye but has started to adapt. His face was no longer symmetrical as a result from all of the damage and when they managed to get him to smile, it was lopsided.

His body was healed and he was improving every day but, though he was determined, he still showed signs of depression. The greatest sign was the fact that he hadn't said a word since he woke up. The doctors say that there is no physical reason for it, he just refused to speak. Leo took it personally.

Donny fussed over Raph and, along with Leatherhead, worked with the physical therapists to learn all they needed so that they could tend to Raph once he was able to return home.

Raph wanted nothing more than to be out of the Foot headquarters. Despite all they had done and continue to do for him, he did not trust them. He didn't have to speak to make that clear.

That's what they were fighting about that night. Leo was talking to Karai about an alliance and Raph was against it. Raph wasn't able to see that, with the Shredder finally gone, Karai was trying to do the right thing. She was trying to regain her honor.

Splinter walked up to stand beside Leo. "You seem troubled, my son."

"I have a lot on my mind," Leo nodded then looked over at his father. "Two of my brothers were hurt by our enemies because they went out alone. And not just hurt… but damaged in one way or another. Donny hasn't been feeling well since his return, nearly nine months ago, and Raph…."

He let the words just hang in the air and die as his eyes drifted back over to watch his brother exercise. They watched him in silence for a while, Raph's gentle grunts as he lifted weights was the only sound.

"It seems to have gotten worse for us." Leo's eyes dropped to the ground and he felt a since of dread try to overwhelm him. He refused to give in to depression. "Our enemies are out to get us and I don't know if we can stand up to them alone. There are so few of us already and we're down two who can fight.

"Joining with Karai will help to keep us safe. At least, that's what I want to believe. She has mutants in her ranks now, we won't be alone. I just can't force the others to do it. It has to be their choice. And what if Raph was right? What if we can't trust them?"

"You weren't kidding when you said you had a lot on your mind," Splinter sighed. "I understand your struggles. I have faced them myself over the years. Is your enemy truly one who can now be an ally? But I fear that there is more still that is worrying you."

"Guilt," Leo admitted without making his father have to dig for it. "I have failed them. Each of them."

"Nothing that had happened to your brothers was your fault," Splinter insisted.

"I knew that if I kept arguing with Raph that he would leave the lair," Leo said. "I could have let the issue drop but I was still struggling with what had happened between me and Mikey so I took it out on Raph, knowingly pushing him until he left."

"Talk to him."

Leo shook his head, "He doesn't talk."

"You are the one who needs to do the talking."

"I will try when his session is over," Leo said but didn't promise any more.

When Raph's session was done, it was obvious that he was in pain. His body shook, his chest heaved and he was covered in sweat. Leatherhead led Raph to a chair and he sat down hard while Donny went over to get Raph's bottle of pain pills and a glass of water.

"I'm seeing a great deal of improvement," Donny soothed as he handed over the pills. "You're gaining weight and you were able to do a basic tree pose without falling over. It seems you're starting to adjust to having just one eye."

As Donny spoke, he held the cup out for Raph who dropped it the second Donny let go. "That's my fault," Donny said, picking the cup up. "I know your grip is still a little weak and I didn't make sure you had a hold of the cup before letting go. I'll get you some more."

Raph waved him off and simply dry swallowed the pills. Leo managed a soft smile as he walked over, "Don't fuss over him too much, Donny. You know he doesn't like that."

Raph looked up at Leo and managed a grunting laugh.

"Come on," Leo held his hand out. "I'll walk you back to your room before the meds kick in. No one wants to lug your heavy ass around."

Raph scoffed then swatted Leo's hand away and stood on his own. Donny grabbed Raph's walker but Leo held up his hand and shook his head. "Raph can manage." Leo then stepped aside so that Raph could lead the way back to the room. "You're strong enough."

Leo noticed Donny move to protest but Leatherhead stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Raph, never being one to step down from a challenge, led the way and Leo followed.

He was physically tired and his legs shook but he managed to make it to the room without Leo's help. Collapsing on the bed the moment they entered the room, Raph let out a sigh of relief.

"Pushed yourself a little hard today," Leo said as he helped Raph get situated in the bed. "I know you want to get out of here but if you do too much, you could set yourself back. You should have left yourself with enough to make it back to your room with ease. Don't let what I say antagonize you. If you're too tired then ask for help."

Raph huffed in response.

"According to the doctors, you will be able to go home soon," Leo said, sitting down on the bed. "It will still be a while before you can start going to the surface again. Splinter and I talked about it. We agreed that you should be off the pain pills first and that you shouldn't go up to the surface alone. None of us should. We're thinking of going out to the farm for a while so you won't feel so trapped in the lair while you continue to recover. Casey's mom's out there and said it would be okay if we joined her."

Leo realized that he was rambling and looked down at Raph, who had his face set in an unreadable mask. Leo sighed, "I hate that you're not talking. You can be so hard to read sometimes."

A few moments of awkward silence passed then Leo grabbed hold of Raph's hand. "I'm sorry. You wouldn't be here if I was a better leader."

"I d….don't b…blame you," Raph mumbled. He voice was rough and his words slurred and stuttered a little. "I l…l…left. Y…You d…d…didn't kick m…me out."

Leo could see the frustration splayed across Raph's face each time he stumbled over a word. He must have discovered at some point that he stuttered and, pride getting the better of him, stopped talking because of it.

It took a lot for Leo to contain his emotions in that moment. "Talk do Donny," Leo pleaded, knowing that if he made a big deal about Raph talking then it would keep Raph from doing it again for a while. "He wants to hear your voice again and maybe he can help you… smooth your words out again."

Raph nodded and his eye was unfocused. Leo knew that Raph wasn't going to be awake for much longer. "You get some sleep. I'm warning you though, when we get back to the lair, I'm not gonna let you make any more excuses. I want my best fighter back."

A smug, lopsided smile spread across Raph's beak. "B…est f…f…fighter, huh?"

"Don't get too full of yourself," Leo smiled, letting go of Raph's hand and standing up. "I'm still better suited to lead. You're too much of a meathead."

Raph let out a soft chuckle as the pain pill's side effects kicked in. A high school marching band could have passed through, playing three different songs out of key, and Raph wouldn't have been disturbed in the slightest.

Leo left Raph and headed out to look for Mikey. As he walked down the corridor Leo passed one of the Foot soldiers who Shredder had mutated. Leo couldn't help but wonder how the former human felt. Did he miss the freedom that he once had?

Mikey was in their set of rooms, playing videogames. Their relationship was strained for a brief period of time after they rescued Donny. It took a while for Leo to forgive himself for what had happened even though Mikey was never upset with him.

There were times Leo felt that his brothers were too quick to forgive him and wondered how long it was going to take for their forgiveness to run dry.

Hearing Raph's voice helped to ease Leo's guilt but he didn't think that he would ever be able to get rid of it. He heaved a heavy sigh of relief that caught Mikey's attention.

"Hey, Leo," Mikey paused his game and hopped over the back of the sofa to stand in front of Leo. "Everything okay? You look exhausted."

"I'm doing better," Leo nodded. "I'm emotionally drained."

"Something happen?"

Leo felt his lip tremble as the tears started to fall. "Raph talked to me. He's not mad at me." Saying the words out loud brought on a since of relief that made Leo feel lighter.

"I told you," Mikey brought his hand up to thumb away Leo's tears. "I knew Raph was just being a stubborn ass and not giving you the silent treatment."

Caught up in the tender moment they leaned closer together but they both turned away before their lips touched. "I can't do it," Leo said.

"I'm right there with you," Mikey nodded, turning back to face Leo. "We're as close as two can be without any kind of sexual interaction."

Leo looked down at Mikey's smiling face and felt his heart soar. They had grown closer and were as close as any lovers without actually being lovers. They shared a bed, confided in each other and would seek comfort in each other's arms but, aside from the one time that was induced by Bishop's drugs, they don't take it any further.

Leo often wondered if, one day, their need for intimacy would over power their sexual preferences. He could say with all certainty that an individual's sexual preference was not a choice. If they were, he would already have Mikey as his lover.

"I wish I was a girl," Mikey said, out of the blue.

Leo lifted an eye ridge. "What?"

"That would make things easier between us, if I was a girl who liked guys."

"Wouldn't be easier to wish we were gay?" Leo chuckled.

Mikey shrugged, "I suppose. But you have to admit," he said with a huge grin, "I would make an awesome girlfriend."

This made Leo laugh outright and it took him a few minutes to calm down. Mikey didn't take offense by it. He knew Leo's laughter was genuine joy and not mocking of what Mikey had said. "I suppose you would."

"I know Raph wished Donny was a girl," Mikey added in sing song.

"I've noticed that too," Leo said, all humor dropping from him.

Mikey noticed and smiled as he teased Leo, "You would prefer a lady Raphie. Maybe that's why you are lacking motivation to get over the fact that you're not gay. Raph's the one you really want."

"Shut up," Leo flushed. "Why would I want a girl like Raph? He's a jerk and contradicts me at every turn." Leo turned on his heel and headed towards their room. "I'm going to meditate."

As Leo closed the door he could hear Mikey calling after him. "Don't worry," he chuckled. "I won't tell anyone."


	4. Chapter 4

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 4

Do Not Disturb

Warning: M-Preg

Bishop's reasons for abducting Donny start to become clearer but they can still only speculate.

I want to thank MomoRawrr for Donny's nickname for Leatherhead.

The unnamed OC in this one belongs to SaphiraDragonHert she told me about it and I fell in love so I had to use it.

Raph's room had two large, comfortable chairs in it where the Turtles and Splinter had spent their time sitting while they waited for him to wake up. Donny preferred the blue one over the green because it was suede and didn't leave an imprint on his legs like the knitted fabric of the green one did. Raph currently occupied the blue one and Donny sat across from him, listening to the way Raph's words were slurred and stuttered.

Don mentally took notes, asking Raph questions just to get him to talk, not settling for one word answers. He was confident that Raph's speech problems were only temporary and that the more he worked the muscles required to talk the better he would get.

"You need to train yourself to do everything again, Raph." Donny said as a matter of fact. "Just like you had to teach yourself to walk again, you need to teach your mouth how to form words again. You'll be fine, so long as you keep at it."

Raph nodded his understanding. He was leaning forward with his arms resting on his legs and his hands clasped together. He was tired from the rigorous workout he put himself through earlier that morning and the side effects of his pain medication.

Donny shifted in his seat. There was a shooting pain in his back that had been bothering him for a few days. All he wanted to do was sleep but when he heard that Raph was willing to talk to him he pushed his own problems aside to help Raph.

He rubbed his tired eyes, despite the fact that he had slept for ten hours and was grateful that at least he wasn't nauseated. He needed to know his brother's mental state before they left the Foot compound. If Raph needed psychological treatment, Donny was going to make sure that Raph got it.

"Can I ask you something difficult?" Donny asked, leaning forward to grab Raph's hands. He was going to talk to Raph about this one last thing then he was going back to his room for a nap, he promised himself.

"Sure," Raph shrugged and he unclasped his hands to grab hold of Donny's.

Donny looked Raph over while he readied himself for the conversation he was about to start. He could still see the wounds that caused each scar, the image of Raph in a pool of his own blood still vivid in Don's mind. The deep scar down the center line of Raph's plastron was a bitter reminder of what was needed to save his life. He was just glad that he was spared having to see his brother opened up like he was being dissected and studied. But he couldn't stop his mind from imagining what it might have looked like.

Donny swallowed hard and readied himself for the potential backlash. Raph's emotions had been unpredictable as of late, which was to be expected. "What do you remember?"

Raph's eyes moved down and focused on his lap. He shrugged, "N… not m…uch." He took a deep breath and Donny could see the distant look in his eye as he tried to recall that night. "I f…fought with L…Leo. I s…saw some D…Dragons and w…wanted to b…beat m…my anger into them. Th…there was more th…than I f…figured.

"After I w…was stabbed on m…my left, I r…ran. S…someone w…was able to g…get my right as I r…ran past. T…the last th…ing I r…remember is Hun p…punching me in the f…face."

"You don't remember anything else?"

Raph shook his head and Donny felt somewhat relieved. Part of him hoped that Raph would never remember what had happened after that. Some things were best forgotten.

"T…there are… s…scars in places t…that make me w…wonder though," Raph admitted and his grip tightened, pulling Don from his thoughts.

Donny felt his heart sink and he had to close his eyes while he sorted through his own emotions and thoughts. Raph had the right to know what happened to him but Donny wasn't sure if he was ready to hear it yet. There was a reason his mind had blocked it out and knowing could set him back.

"I will tell you anything you want to know," Donny said as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "However, I think you should wait."

"Maybe you're right but I need to know." Keeping his eyes on his lap, Raph choked out, "Did Hun rape me?"

Though he expected the question, it was hard for Donny to hear. Raph knew that some of his intestines had been removed, because they were damaged, and he has had enough time to look over his own body. He had probably seen the damage to his tail and penis and came up with his own conclusion, which wasn't too far off from the truth.

Donny though out his reply carefully and Raph waited, without saying a word, though his grip on Donny's hand continued to tighten. He could hear the stifled sobs that Raph was fighting to keep under control. The mind can often dream up worse scenarios than what was actually the truth, when left to its own devices.

So Donny decided to tell him, to end the torment. "Hun used an inanimate object to sodomize you. There is no evidence to suggest that he…, or any of the Purple Dragons, physically raped you."

Raph took several deep breaths as he continued to fight to keep from losing control. "D…Does everyone k…know?"

"It doesn't change how any of us see you," Donny said, reaching up to thumb away the tears that fell down Raph's cheek. "We are here if you wanna talk about it but please don't let that be what breaks you."

"I…'m gonna k…kill Hun," Raph said through gritted teeth without looking up. "I'm n…not g…gonna d…draw it out, I'm j…just gonna k…kill him."

"I believe you have the support of the whole family on that one," Donny said, not hiding his own anger.

Raph looked up and scanned Donny's face, surprised that Donny hadn't tried to talk him out of it. His eye darted back and forth as he processed what Donny had just said.

As Raph's expressing turned to one of relief, Donny managed to smile and nod. "That's right. We all feel the same way as you do about Hun. None of us are going to ask that you let go of you desire for revenge."

They all knew that desire gave him something to focus on and it drove him to get better, keeping him from falling into depression. Donny knew it was only a matter of time before it all caught up to Raph but until then they will encourage him. Even Splinter had said, though cryptically, that the world would be a better place with Hun gone.

"Thank you," Raph whispered.

Donny stayed with Raph for several hours, helping him with his speech by talking through different problems. As they talked, it became harder for Donny to endure his own pain, though he refused to let it show.

By the time Raph was ready for his pain pill and some sleep, Donny had difficulties moving his legs. It took all the strength he had to hide it from Raph as he helped his brother into bed.

He managed to keep his composure as he walked back to the room he shared with Leatherhead. "I just need to lie down," he told himself. "I've been under too much stress lately." Much to his relief, the hallways were empty because he knew that if someone saw him, they would know something was wrong.

When he got to his room, he headed straight for the bed and fell into it. Curling into a ball he tried to breathe into the pain but it was only intensifying. Lying down wasn't helping and only seemed to make the pain worse so he got up and started pacing the room.

Though he was still in a great deal of pain the walking seemed to help to alleviate it. His mind raced with possibilities and figured that he might have eaten something bad and that it was food poisoning.

With that in mind he headed to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. When he saw his own reflection in the mirror he was shocked to see how awful he looked and decided that he should go see Doctor Chaplin.

He turned off the water and reached for a towel then he was hit with a pain so intense that he dropped to his knees. Pressure built in his tail and he managed to pull himself up to sit on the toilet. "All of this over a bowel movement? What did I eat?"

He thought that maybe the Foot Clan couldn't be trusted and that they had done something to him somehow. The only problem was that he couldn't figure out why.

He had never felt pain so intense before and he just wanted it to end. He pushed and felt his cloaca stretch before hearing a splash, followed by relief. He moved to stand but something was still inside his tail. Looking down to see what it was, he saw a great deal of blood and something that resembled a cord coming out of his cloaca.

Confused, he managed to stand and, with great effort, turned himself around to look into the toilet. Time seemed to stop when his eyes fell on the creature that was in the water and was attached to the cord leading into his tail. How could something come from him?

His hands trembled as he reached down and pulled it out. Whatever it was, he was sure Bishop had put it in him but that didn't mean that he was going to let it die.

It was small, weighing no more than three pounds and if he was honest, looked like a baby dragon. "Come on," he pleaded with it when it didn't move. "Don't be dead."

He turned it over in his hand and gently patted its back. It whimpered and moved then its chest expanded with its first breath. Wailing cries followed and it started to squirm. For something that was so small it had a loud cry.

Donny grabbed a towel and bundled the small creature then pulled it to his chest. He tried to tuck his tail and was reminded that the cord was still attached. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around what was going on and knew that he needed help if he was going to find some answers.

The problem was he was tired. He barely had the strength to remain standing let alone walk out of the bathroom. Fortunately he didn't have to.

The door to the bathroom opened and Leatherhead entered in a panic as his eyes darted around the room. "What's going on?"

"It seems that I had a baby," Donny answered, still in shock. A wave washed over him and his eyes felt heavy as everything went black. The next thing he knew he was in Leatherhead's arms as the large crocodile rushed down the halls.

Donny was turned in a way that the baby was nestled on him and against Leatherhead's chest so it was safe from falling. He just hoped that he didn't drop it when he passed out. Just to make sure it was okay Donny looked down and saw a pair of ice blue eyes looking back at him.

He couldn't take his eyes off of it. It was so small and helpless. He decided right there that no matter what it was, he was going to raise it.

Leatherhead carried Donny into the infirmary and called out for help. "Please. Something has happened."

Doctor Chaplin rushed over, along with several other doctors and they all started to assess what had happened. Leatherhead was directed to place Donny on a bed and step back. Donny could see the reluctance in Leatherhead's eyes as a group of doctors moved between them.

One of the doctors reached down for the baby and Donny instinctively pulled it away. "I won't hurt it," the doctor soothed. "I need to check it to make sure it's okay. I also need to cut the umbilical cord."

"Whatever it is, it's just a baby," Donny insisted, looking the doctor in the eye. "Don't you dare hurt it. You bring it back to me."

"I will," the doctor promised, reaching down and, this time, Donny let him take it. As soon as the baby was pulled from his arms it started to cry and Donny reached out to take it back but other doctors were there to prevent it.

It was removed from the towel and the umbilical cord was tied off and cut. Another doctor had a blanked ready and wrapped the baby in it to keep it warm. One doctor commented on how the baby looked like a small dragon and another agreed.

Donny wanted nothing more than to get out of the bed and take it from them.

"I'll run the test on it myself," Chaplin promised as he attached an IV to Donny. "I also want to run some tests on you to make sure that you are okay. It isn't natural for a turtle to give live birth."

"It had to have been Bishop," Leatherhead interjected, staying back but not leaving the room. "He did something to Donatello. He must have put that thing in him."

"Whatever it is, it's innocent." Donny said again. He tried to stand when the baby was taken from the room. "Where are they taking it?"

Chaplin pushed Donny back down. "I don't have the right kind of equipment to run the required tests on it in this room. It looks small. If it's premature then it will need to be incubated. I swear to you, no harm will come to it."

Donny regretted handing the baby over and started to feel panicked. He looked over at Leatherhead and pleaded, "Kroki…."

He didn't need to say more. Leatherhead pressed past the surrounding doctors and placed a gentle kiss on Donny's head before following after the doctors and the baby. Donny watched him leave and knew that no matter how Leatherhead was feeling about the baby he wasn't going to let anything happen to it, for Donny's sake.

The need to push had Donny bearing down again and one of the other doctors was there to collect the placenta as it emerged. "I want that studied as well," Chaplin ordered and the doctor nodded then placed the placenta in a container then took it from the room.

After he connected Donny to machines, Chaplin moved to a supply closet and returned with a medical device that looked like a portable probe. "What's that for?" Donny asked, even though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I want to see if I can find where the creature gestated inside of you," Chaplin answered, confirming Donny's suspicions. "All the data I collect will be stored on this device for your review later."

With a slight nod, Donny parted his legs so that Chaplin had easier access to his tail. He wanted answers and he had to trust Chaplin to get them.

With a push of a button the tip of the probe lit up. It was long and thin, made of a medical grade plastic with a long cord that attached to a small device with a display screen. Chaplin had an assistant coat the probe with a water based lubricant then he placed the tip just on the inside of Donny's cloaca.

"Let me know if you start to feel any discomfort," he instructed, without looking up from the screen. Not waiting for Donny to respond, Chaplin eased the probe in deeper. "You're penis is where it should be."

Donny had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping back at Chaplin. He was well aware that his penis was still intact. He had used it on Leatherhead just a few nights ago, so not only was it all there but it still worked.

Chaplin continued to explore the inside of Donny's cloaca, moving the probe with a steady hand. "That's interesting," he mused. Donny watched Chaplin, waiting for him to further explain what it was that he had found so interesting. "It seems that there is an extra opening. The one further down, I am assuming, is your rectum. But this one here is not normal."

Donny felt the probe go deeper and had to admit that there was something about it that didn't feel right.

"It's not very deep," Chaplin stated. "The path opens up into a sack of some sort." He held the device up so Donny could see. "My guess is that it is something like a uterus." He pulled the device back down to look at it. "I'm going to switch to ultrasound."

It was a nifty little device indeed to be able to switch from camera to an ultrasound device. Ultrasound was useful to look at the organs past the 'uterus'. Donny was fairly certain that he knew what Chaplin was looking for. If there was a uterus then there is a possibility of ovaries.

"Your testicles are where they are supposed to be," Chaplin mumbled while tilting the probe. He moved it around, studding the images on the screen in his hand. "I don't see any ovaries."

"Then it's possible that the… 'uterus' was implanted in me simply to house the creature," Donny concluded. "But why?"

Chaplin shrugged, "Maybe Bishop needed a living host for it." He pulled the probe out and set it aside before covering Donny with a blanket. "We won't know until we get the results back from the tests. Get some rest. I promise that I will wake you the moment I have some answers."

Donny didn't want to sleep. He wanted to be with the baby. The image of its blue eyes looking up at him was all he could think about and its cries echoed in his head. It was so small and he needed to know if it was alright.

Even though he didn't want to sleep, the exhaustion of delivery and the resulting shock had taken their toll. His eyes felt heavy and his attempts to keep them open failed. It was almost like the sandman was behind him, pushing his sleep magic through the back of his head.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up to the gentle touch of Leatherhead's hand on his brow. He looked up into his mate's eyes and managed a soft smile. "Oh, Kroki, I had the strangest dream. I gave birth to a baby dragon."

"It was no dream, my love," Leatherhead whispered back, placing the bundled baby in Donny's arms. As Donny looked down at the slumbering infant, Leatherhead nuzzled him and said, "Only she isn't a dragon. She is our daughter."

Mouth agape in disbelief, Donny looked up at Leatherhead. "Our? Daughter?"

Leatherhead nodded, "Yes. She is yours, mine, and Raphael's."

"How?" Donny looked back down at the baby. "How is that even possible?"

"We're not one hundred percent sure," Chaplin said, announcing that he was also in the room. Donny looked up and saw that Splinter, Leo, and Mikey were all in the room as well, waiting to hear what had happened.

"My best guess is that, whatever it is that Agent Bishop had put inside you has the ability to take DNA and combine it into one creature. I think it is safe to assume that it is still functional so it would be wise to use precaution in the future."

"Of course," Donny nodded his understanding. It made sense. Bishop has been after the perfect soldier for centuries and the Turtles have proven themselves countless times against threats to Earth's safety. If Chaplin's hypothesis was correct, then it was safe to assume that Bishop had intended to breed Donny with his brothers to get that soldier and raise it to obey him. He probably had plans to breed Donny with his brothers like a puppy mill breeder treats his dogs, with one pregnancy after the next.

"Does Raph know?" Donny looked around at everyone in the room.

"He's still asleep," Mikey answered.

"We figured you would want to be the one to tell him," Leo added. "And that it would be easier for him to hear it from you, given the fact that we don't really talk about what happened that day."

"Yeah," Donny nodded then shifted his daughter so he could get a better look at her. Now that she was clean he could see that her skin was close to his color only a slight shade bluer. He unwrapped the blanket and noticed that the scales down her chest and stomach were shell like but not a solid plastron.

Sliding his finger between the blanket and her back he felt that the scales were the same as they were on her front, hard but not a solid shell. She had four fingers, like Leatherhead and three toes, both with sharp nails so Donny was already making plans to get her some mittens and socks.

Mikey walked up to Donny and looked down at the baby. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Donny held her out so Mikey could take her.

"To think that I could have been one of her dads," Mikey mused out loud. "If we hadn't separated…."

"You're still going to be a major part of her life, Mikey," Donny smiled up at him.

"No, dude, you don't understand. I am relieved. I'm too young to be a dad,"

Donny glared up at Mikey, "You're still going to be a major part of her life."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be the fun uncle with no other responsibilities than to make her laugh," Mikey quipped. "I'm not changing any diapers. No sir."

Donny chuckled and was relieved to see that his family was accepting of the new addition. He only hoped that Raph would be as receptive when he found out.


	5. Chapter 5

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 5

Vacation

Donny stood outside the door to Raph's room, going over what it was he planned on saying. It wasn't the kind of news that was easy to break. Leatherhead stood nearby so that he could watch the baby while Donny went in to break the news to Raph alone.

The baby was in the typical bassinet, trolley that was used in hospitals. He looked down at her and watched her sleep as he thought. It was still hard for him to believe that she was real. She was so small, weighing in at just under three pounds. She was more length than anything else. Donny was sure that, with enough food, she would fill out nicely, doubling her weight in no time.

He looked up at Leatherhead, who was waiting patiently while Donny collected his nerve. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Donny prepared himself to enter the room. He placed his hand on the handle, took one more steading breath, and then opened the door.

Raph was moving around the room, packing his things. Chaplin had told him an hour earlier that he was being released and he was eager to go. He looked up when Donny entered but didn't stop what he was doing.

"We decided to go out to the farm," Donny said, not quite ready to get to the point. He figured that a little bit of small talk would be best.

"I'm f…fine with that," Raph said as he stuffed his things into a bag. "B…basking sounds… nice."

"It does," Donny agreed.

His heart pounded as his mind raced with what to say. He had no idea how Raph was going to react. The night of her conception was not something that they liked to talk about.

After a while of wringing his hands together, Donny decided to just say it. "Bishop… changed me," was all he was able to choke out before the look in Raph's eye had his throat closing.

Raph's eye narrowed, "What?"

"He put something in me," Donny tried to explain. "Something that takes my DNA and the DNA of anyone I have sex with and combines it into one… baby."

Raph looked at Donny while his mind processed what it had just heard. The scowl changed to a look of confusion. "B…baby?"

"I had a baby," Donny blurted and the words sounded strange coming from him. "She's a mix of you, me, and Leatherhead but she looks more like Leatherhead."

"She?" Raph sat down on the bed and his eye darted back and forth. "A baby? Why didn't you tell me you were…?" He looked up at Donny, "W…Where?"

"She's just outside," Donny pointed to the door. "She was born a little after I left you, earlier today. I didn't know that I was… well, pregnant until I saw her in the toilet. Do you wanna see her?"

Raph nodded and Donny felt a sense of relief wash over him. This was good. Raph didn't seem to be mad. He looked to be in shock but that was expected. He stood up as Donny made his way to the door and waited by the bed for Donny to return.

"He wants to see her," Donny said to Leatherhead as he entered the hall. All of his fear was giving way to joy as he scooped her up in his arms. He looked up and saw a slight smile turn up the edges of Leatherhead's mouth and smiled in return.

When Donny walked back into the room he saw Raph, still waiting by the bed and smiled. "This is our daughter, SnjórEldur." Donny glanced over to see that Leatherhead was waiting patiently just outside the door. He didn't want to make things anymore awkward for Raph than they already were.

Raph's eye was on the bundle in Donny's arms but when he heard her name it shot up to look at Donny. "What?"

"SnjórEldur," Donny repeated. "It's Icelandic, meaning Snow Fire." He liked to study languages and Icelandic was the most recent one he was learning. He liked the way it sounded and it seemed to fit, given who her parents ware. Raph and Leatherhead both could be as cold as ice one moment then in a fiery rage the next.

"I… c…can't say that," Raph complained some of that fire coming to life.

"We can call her Snow for short," Donny smiled. "You don't ever have to attempt to call her by her full name."

"I w…won't," Raph grunted, looking down at Snow. "I l…like the name Snow."

"Good." Donny placed her on the bed and undid the swaddle so Raph could get a good look at her. The sudden change in her environment had her complaining with a soft cry. Raph reached down and grabbed her before Donny had a chance to react.

Don felt a rush of panic, "Be careful."

Raph glared at him, "I w…won't drop her."

"Maybe you should sit down," Donny insisted, reaching for Raph.

Turning away from Donny, Raph grunted, "I'm f…fine."

"Okay," Donny backed away but his nerves didn't settle. "Why don't you sit down and take some time to hold her and I'll finish packing your things? No reason to stay standing."

Sighing, Raph walked past Donny then made his way to sit down in the blue chair. He then propped his feet up in the green chair and placed Snow on his lap to get a good look at her. "She d…doesn't l…look like m…me."

"I told you that she looked more like Leatherhead," Donny said as he checked inside a drawer. "His DNA dominated but the blood work shows that you are her parent too."

Donny looked up and noticed a newly bought set of seven Disney Princess Barbie dolls, still in their packaging. He walked around the bed and picked it up off the floor to get a better look at it. "Is this what Casey bought you?"

When Casey had seen the doll Mikey had bought for Raph, he was confused. Donny had done his best to explain to Casey why it was Raph had an affinity towards princesses but it took Casey a while to wrap his mind around the idea. He couldn't understand how Raph, out of all of them, could like something so 'girly'.

April, being the more sensible one, spent weeks explaining it to Casey. In time he learned to accept it and decided to show his support. When he told Donny that he was going to buy something for Raph, Donny wasn't expecting something like that. A set of those dolls wasn't cheap.

"This is nice," Donny smiled and set the box with the rest of Raph's things.

"At least h…he kept it in the b…box," Raph quipped.

"Mikey didn't do a lot of thinking that day." Donny walked over to stand next to Raph. "You're not mad that Casey knows, are you?"

Raph shook his head, "No. He's n…not giving m…me a hard… t…time about it."

"Do you want me to make a quick trip to the lair to drop some of your things off?"

Again Raph shook his head.

"Okay. I think we got everything," Donny said, looking around the room. "You ready to go?" He bent down to collect Snow and when Raph hesitated, Donny placed his hand on his shoulder. "I promise, you will get to spend all the time you want with her out at the farm."

Raph nodded and Donny reached down to take Snow. "I'll get the others to carry your things out to the van."

After another nod from Raph, Donny turned to leave. He smiled at Leatherhead when he exited the room and heaved a sigh of relief. "That went better than I thought."

"He's been handling everything well," Leatherhead added and Donny detected concern in his voice.

Donny nodded, "It will catch up to him soon enough."

Karai supplied them with everything that they would need to take care of an infant, including a car seat. Donny fussed for the better part of an hour over the proper placement of the car seat. When he finally had it to where he was satisfied, they all loaded into the van for the nearly four hour drive out to the farm.

It was a new van, yet another gift from Karai, that had seats and tented windows. It was a much better mode of transportation than what they had before, which was an empty supply van with no seats in the back. It was much safer for all of them as well, especially Snow. No one wanted her car seat sliding around in the back of a van.

Raph sat next to Snow in the middle seat, alternating between watching her sleep and looking out the window. Mikey had managed to nab the seat on the other side of Snow while Donny was loading the rest of his things into the van. Mikey cooed and played with Snow for the long ride, keeping her happy.

Mikey wanted to make a good show of loving her. He knew that it relieved Donny to no end to see his family take to the baby so quickly. They could have rejected her, viewed her as a danger and part of Bishop's agenda. But instead they saw her as the innocent creature that she was.

Casey drove with Master Splinter in the front passenger seat while Leo, Leatherhead, and Don sat in the far back seat. The van was equipped with a Blu-ray player so they had a movie going, but mostly for the noise. Mikey had his own movie surprise for later.

The moment the van pulled up to the house, April and Casey's mom came rushing out. "They are eager to see the baby," Casey looked over his shoulder to warn them. "April was upset. She said that if she had known, she would have been the one to drive to New York to get you."

"You mean they're not running out to see me?" Mikey pretended to be hurt in an overly dramatic way. "I was her maid of honor. It's because I'm no longer the cutest one…, thanks to Snow."

Raph reached over and smacked the back of his head, "You w…were never the b…best looking one."

Mikey couldn't help but smile at seeing his brother acting like his usual self, despite all that had happened to him. Donny had told Mikey that Raph's 'normal' mood wouldn't last, that it was just a part of the grieving process and that he was in denial.

Though he showed signs of anger, he had yet to fully enter into the next stage.

Raph opened the door and stepped out of the van to receive his hug from April. Mikey started to unbuckle the straps around Snow but Donny shoved him to get his attention. "I'll get her."

"Fine," Mikey groaned then opened the door to jump out. Sure, all he wanted was to hold Snow while everyone gushed over her so he could still be the center of attention. Donny didn't have to be such a jerk about it.

As Mikey rounded the van, Leo grabbed his arm. "Help get the things into the house."

Mikey moaned, earning himself another swat. He didn't know how much more abuse he could take. Not wanting to make many trips, Mikey loaded himself up with bags then trudged towards the house. Leatherhead saw what he was doing and relieved him of some of his burden.

"I think we are going to be ignored for a while," Leatherhead stated, looking back at the others fussing over Snow.

Mikey looked back then rolled his eyes as he looked forward again, shaking his head. He looked up at his large friend, "Do you wanna go for a swim after we drop this stuff in the room and see how long it takes before they realize that we're gone?"

"I like the sound of that," Leatherhead replied.

Leatherhead might have been Donny's boyfriend but he was still Mikey's friend. The two liked to hang out and Mikey enjoyed making Leatherhead laugh.

They did just as Mikey suggested and dropped the bags in the middle of the room then ran back down stairs and out the door before anyone saw them. As they neared the river, Mikey picked up his pace and was running full speed by the time they reached its banks.

Jumping high into the air, Mikey managed a flip before curling up to cannonball into the water. He landed carapace first to make the biggest splash then immediately regretted it. Though it was spring, the water was still cold and nearly stole his breath away. When he surfaced, he spat out water then flailed to get back to shore.

"It's still a little cold," he chattered then flopped down on the warm grass.

Leatherhead let out a deep chuckle and sat next to Mikey. "Then I guess it would be best if we simply bask for today."

"I like the way to think," Mikey said as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to get his blood moving again.

"Will you be alright?" Leatherhead asked, placing his hand on Mikey's carapace.

Mikey nodded and scooted closer to Leatherhead, "Can I just lean against you for a while and steal some of your heat?"

Leatherhead wrapped his arm around Mikey, "Of course."

"You're a great friend," Mikey sighed and leaned against Leatherhead.

After a while, they fell asleep as the sun warmed their bodies. Mikey loved it out at the farm where he could really cut loose. He didn't have to be quiet and he could run in the open air in the middle of the day. He didn't need his comics or video games to escape. Being out at the farm was an escape.

A warm hand on his shoulder had Mikey opening his eyes. He sat up and stretched, realizing that the sun was almost down and there was a chill in the air. Looking up, he saw Leo and knew that he was going to get a stern talking to later about leaving the bags in the middle of the floor.

"Took you long enough to realize that we were gone," Mikey huffed then reached over to wake Leatherhead, something that had to be done delicately. The large croc seemed to be in peaceful slumber so the chances of him waking up angry was low.

Leo sighed, "You're not going to start acting jealous of the new baby are you Mikey?"

"Who, me?" Mikey acted surprised that Leo would even think of such a thing. "I like Snow. I just didn't want to be there with everyone fussing over her." Mikey flipped up to his feet, not an easy thing to do, given how cold his body was becoming. "I'm not jealous."

"I didn't want to hear all the cooing and high pitched squealing either," Leatherhead said as he opened his eyes. "Is it out of their systems?"

"I think so," Leo chuckled, helping Leatherhead stand. "April and Mrs. Jones are cooking dinner and Donny has a fire going in the fireplace. Let's get you two back to the house so you can warm back up."

"Give me a ride on your back," Mikey whimpered, hopping up onto Leo's carapace the moment he turned around. "I'm cold." Wrapping his arms around Leo, Mikey moved in to snuggle Leo's neck. "Then we can snuggle by the fire and you can whisper sweet nothings in my ear."

Leo shrugged Mikey off, causing him to land on the hard ground with a thud. "You're incorrigible."

"No loving for you tonight then," Mikey huffed as he got to his feet and made his way back to the house.

Leatherhead tilted his head to the side and then looked at Leo, "Are you two…?"

"No," Leo put an end to that train of thought. "We're close but not that close. He's just trying to get under my shell."

Back at the house everyone was getting ready to sit down for dinner. Mikey snuck into the kitchen to grab a before dinner snack but Splinter was there and smacked Mikey's hand, keeping him from grabbing a roll. "Go wash up. Your odor is offensive."

"That's because he jumped in the river," Leatherhead informed them, poking his head into the kitchen.

"I see," Splinter nodded then turned to look at Leatherhead. "And did you jump into the river as well?"

"No," Leatherhead shook his head. "It was too cold. I basked by the river with Michelangelo."

"I suggest that you wash up before supper as well," Splinter said flatly. "The two of you smell like you wallowed in filth."

"Oh," Leatherhead blushed.

"Come on," Mikey grabbed his hand. "We can shower together. I heard it's more fun that way… nothing funny though. No matter how hard I try, I can't swing that way."

After dinner, Mikey pulled out his surprise movie for Raph and had Donny set it up so that they could watch it. They all gathered in the front room and scattered about. Raph and Mikey sat on the sofa with Mrs. Jones, Splinter got the old arm chair, Leo managed to get the rocking chair and the others had to make do with the floor.

"What are w...we watching?" Raph asked as the Blu-ray loaded.

"Only one of the biggest movies to come out of Disney in a long time!" Mikey declared.

"We're not watching Frozen are we?" Casey moaned.

"Yep!" Mikey beamed. "Raph was out cold when it came out to the theaters and was in rehab when it came to Blu-ray. He missed all the hype. I figured it would be a great first day of freedom movie for him." He turned to look at Raph and held up two fingers. "This has two princesses. Elsa might even beat out Belle for your favorite princess."

"Just s...start the movie," Raph said, shoving Mikey.

As they watched the movie Mikey could hear Raph occasionally chuckle or moan, depending on what was going on in the movie. When Let it Go came on Mikey knew it so well that he lip-synched to the song. He didn't want to sing it out loud and ruin it for Raph.

He was stopped about midway through when Leo nudged him. Mikey glared at Leo, he wasn't doing anything to earn it. He was being quiet. Yeah, he was moving around, but still, it was well behaved for him.

Leo then pointed to Raph, causing Mikey to turn and look in time to see Raph wipe away a tear. Mikey had read that the song tended to strike a chord with people who had suffered abuse. He really didn't think it would apply to someone in Raph's situation.

When the song was over Raph looked around to see if anyone was looking at him and Mikey quickly turned his attention back to the movie. It was a good thing that he was sitting on Raph's left or he would have been caught.

When the movie ended, Mikey looked at Raph. "Well?"

"It was s...stupid," Raph grunted then smiled. "But for s...some reason, I l...liked it."

"I know right?" Mikey stood up. "It's because you see some of me in Anna. I'm cute and I've got freckles," he leaned in close to Raph, "and I love you unconditionally."

"Dork," Raph said, pushing Mikey aside as he stood up then made his way upstairs. "I'm g...gonna take my p...pain pill and g...go to bed."

"Goodnight," they all replied in a broken choirs.

"I know you love me too, Raph," Mikey called after him and got a mumbled response. He looked over at Leo and smiled, "He loves me," earning himself another hard shove.


	6. Chapter 6

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 6

Solitude

It took about a week of being out at the farm for Raphael to enter into the anger stage of the grieving process. He didn't just get angry, he got violent. He would lash out anytime anyone came near him, it didn't matter who it was.

Though he wasn't strong enough to really hurt any of them, they didn't want to risk him hurting himself. He stayed out in the barn by himself, spending most of his time exercising. Leonardo would often go out to check on Raph, staying in the shadows to keep from being discovered.

He worried about his brother and wanted to make sure that he was eating and didn't hurt himself. He would watch Raph for hours while he dealt with his anger. Sometimes Raph would just sit and do nothing, others he would pace the room fuming. The hardest to watch was when he cried. It had been years since Leo had seen Raph cry. He had been told that Raph had cried a few years back when Leo was recovering from Shredder's attack but Leo wasn't awake to see that.

When Raph took his pain pills and went to sleep, Leo would enter the barn to clean up and leave food and water. He would leave notes for Raph to find, he didn't know if they helped but he needed Raph to know that he was there for him.

Donny had said that it was hard to guess how long it would take for Raph to work his way through his anger. Everyone was different. He told Leo to listen for any form of bargaining like, 'If I had only…' or 'I would do anything for….'

So far, the only things Leo heard were a slew of curse words.

Leo walked back into the house, carrying the trash he had collected from the barn. After sorting the trash he washed his hands at the kitchen sink. When he turned around Mikey was standing directly behind him, causing Leo to flinch.

"You're getting good at that."

"Or you're starting to lose it," Mikey teased back.

Leo let out a sarcastic laugh. "I've had a lot on my mind." He sidestepped past Mikey and headed out of the kitchen. He wasn't in any kind of mood to deal with his antics at the moment.

"You have Raph on your mind," Mikey corrected, following Leo. They walked for a while in silence and Leo would look back every so often to see if his brother was still there. Mikey would simply grin at him and wave, annoying Leo even more.

Mikey was right, Raph had been on Leo's mind a lot. Leo just didn't like for Mikey to point it out and if he knew his brother then Mikey wasn't going to leave it at that. The intuitive turtle had the tendency of bringing things out into the open.

Leo picked up his pace as he headed out of the house. Donny glanced up as the two turtles passed. Though he didn't say anything, Leo knew what he was thinking. Donny was ready to back up Mikey in a heartbeat. They all knew Leo was troubled.

Mikey had no problems keeping up with Leo, he was the fastest turtle after all. Even though Leo couldn't out pace him, he was hoping that Mikey would get the clue and leave him alone. The problem was, Mikey wasn't the type to let something go.

They crossed the field and entered in to the surrounding forest. Despite the fact that he didn't want to face his brother and that he knew what it was Mikey wanted, Leo rounded on Mikey, "What?"

"It's not your fault, Leo," Mikey said, keeping his distance.

"You've been stocking me just to say that?" Leo scoffed and turned away. "I failed Raph."

"Raph doesn't blame you for what happened. Nobody does. Why are you still blaming yourself?"

"I shouldn't have argued with him." Leo answered. "He may not blame me, but I know that I pushed him until he left. I wanted him to leave."

"That may be true but you didn't beat him up." Mikey walked up and placed his hands on Leo's shoulders. "You guys fought, you always fight. Raph ran off, he always did that. We had no idea at that time, the lengths Hun would go to. How dangerous it's become."

"That's our fault too," Leo pulled away from Mikey. "I can't believe I'm saying this but we were safer when the Shredder was around."

"You know that's not true," Mikey argued. "He was trying to wipe us out. All of us. Every single Turtle in the multiverse. Talk to Donny about a future where Shredder lived. He still has nightmares about it. We're better off with him dead and we will find a way to defeat Hun too. At least this time we have Karai on our side."

"Karai." Leo shook his head as he tried to keep his composure. "If only I hadn't talked to Raph about teaming up with Karai that night."

"So you're in stage three of the acceptance process."

"What?"

"You know," Mikey shrugged. "Donny went over the process with us so we would know what to expect from Raph. You are in the bargaining phase, full of 'if onlys' and 'I should'ves'."

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You think I'm going through the grieving process?"

"We all are," Mikey said as a matter of fact. "In a way. It's just affecting you and Raph more since you're more directly involved. It took me a while to get over what I saw. It still makes my stomach churn when I think about it. There were times that I wish we had run faster, gotten there before Hun did all those awful things to him. Or maybe if I had gone out with him. It wouldn't have been the first time I ran off after him. Maybe if I was with him, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. But then I realized that, I didn't do anything wrong and neither did you."

"I didn't know," Leo said in a gruff voice as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Mikey opened his arms, "You don't have to go through this alone, Leo. You just gotta let it go."

"Don't you dare start singing," Leo warned, looking Mikey in the eye.

"Who? Me?" Mikey grinned. "I wasn't even thinking about it." When Leo lifted an eye ridge Mikey sighed. "Okay, I was… about to… start singing."

With a slight chuckle Leo moved in to accept Mikey's hug. The smaller turtle wrapped his arms around Leo and held him tight. It felt good and Leo started to feel a little better. Mikey had that effect on people.

"It's not your fault, Leo."

"Thanks, Mikey."

As Raph came out of his drug induced slumber he heard the soft foot falls of someone pacing back and forth. He suspected that it was Leo finally coming out of the shadows to confront him. Either that or he got a late start with cleaning. Whoever it was, he just wanted them to go away but then he heard the happy coo and knew it was Donny with Snow.

Donny waited in silence as Raph came to. Snow was the only one making noise as she cooed and squeaked, at least she sounded happy. He hadn't seen Snow in almost two months. Babies progressed quickly in the first year of life, or so he was told, so he wondered how much she had changed.

It took a while for Raph's mind and body to work together so that he could sit up. He felt numb. He hated it but it was better than the pain. "What do you want, Don?" Raph's voice was still gruff from sleep and his words still slurred a little but at least he had worked through the stuttering. He would occasionally stumble over his words, especially when he was angry.

"I thought you might want to see Snow," Donny said, kneeling down in front of Raph. "She's more than doubled in weight thanks to April and Mrs. Jones. They're spoiling her."

"The only reason you brought her was to keep me from yelling at you."

Donny shrugged, "It worked."

Raph grunted in response but didn't say anything more. Donny scooted closer, angling Snow so Raph could see her better. She had plumped up and she was more alert. Her blue eyes stayed fixed on Donny as she cooed to get his attention.

When Don looked down at her a smiled spread across her face and she squealed, her hands trembling in excitement. It didn't take much to make her happy. She kept cooing as if she was trying to prompt Donny to say something to her.

"I really did bring her so you could see her. Do you wanna hold her?" Donny offered.

Raph nodded and Donny moved around so that he was sitting next to Raph. As he passed Snow over to Raph, her eyes sifted up to look up at him. He half expected her to cry at the sight of him. She held still while she studied his face with her mouth in the shape of an 'O'.

Bending his knees, Raph cradled her in his lap so he could look down at her. Raph smiled and she smiled back, her hand reaching up to touch his face. He moved his head forward so she could reach then kissed her tiny hand.

It was warm enough that she didn't need to be swaddled. The only things that she was wearing were a diaper and shirt. The diaper had to have been custom made by someone to accommodate her tail. It was cloth with a reusable plastic covering. Raph figured it would be easier than making a bunch of disposable diapers.

Her chubby legs kicked and her arms flailed for no other reason than to move. She went back to cooing, this time trying to get Raph to talk to her.

Though she looked nothing like him, Raph couldn't help but melt for her. Donny said that she was his and Raph believed him. She was the only child he was ever going to have. It wasn't like there was any chance of them having children before but Raph's chances were less than his brothers due to the fact that the knives the Dragons rammed in Raph's sides destroyed one testicle and preformed a vasectomy with the other.

He was told that he was lucky that he still had the one. Being castrated on top of everything else would have been worse. 'Try to focus on what is good instead of what is bad', Splinter often told him. He was trying, it was easier before he remembered all that was bad.

Having Snow there did help to ease his anger but he was contemplating pushing Donny out and keeping her for a while. At the same time he was debating on opening up to him. There were things that he wanted to talk about but opening up wasn't one of Raph's strong points. The only emotion he openly shared was his anger. In the end, he decided that he was ready to get it out.

"I've remembered more of what had happened," Raph confessed, keeping his eyes on Snow. "I… remember all of it actually. At one point I heard Hun order them to leave my head alone so that I could remember everything. He wanted me to live.

"He said he was paying me back for mutating him and that he was going to break me. He wanted to hear me cry. I held back for as long as I could. When I didn't give him what he wanted, he shoved that bat inside of me then started to move it around. He got what he wanted."

"We heard your screams," Donny's voice was low. "If we had gotten there sooner, by just a few minutes."

"Don't you start," Raph chided, looking over at Don. "You got there, that's all that matters."

They sat in silence for a while in order to get their emotions under control and Raph debated on if he wanted to continue. He trusted Donny and knew that he could confide in his brother. He just wasn't sure if he wanted the answer to his question.

"The bat damaged more than just my intestines."

"I know."

Raph took a deep breath then cleared his throat. "I don't even know if it works."

Donny pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. "Have you tried…?"

"Yeah," Raph nodded. "Once in the hospital. That's how I discovered the damage. When I saw it, I lost the desire to."

"Have you woken up with an erection?" Donny asked turning his head to look at Raph.

Raph nodded. There had been a few mornings that he had woken up with an erection. The pale scars that littered the surface were a standing reminder of what had happened.

Donny placed his hand on Raph's shoulder, "If you can achieve an erection that is a good sign." Sifting his position, Donny got up on his knees to retrieve Snow and placed her on the nearby pallet on the floor, where Raph usually slept.

"Do you want me to look at it?" Donny offered.

Raph looked up at the ceiling as he thought it over. Without a word, Raph parted his legs and dropped his tail. A turtle doesn't need to be aroused in order for their penis to emerge. They tend to do it often in a display if dominance. So there was no effort, beyond overcoming his own nerves to show Donny his penis.

"Is it alright if I touch it?" Donny asked.

"Do what you gotta do."

He felt Donny's hand lift his penis so that he could examine the tip. Using his thumbs, Donny parted the petal like cap to expose the tender spikes inside. He dropped one thumb down to run it over the spikes, causing Raph to gasp, and he immediately moved his thumb away.

"It looks like the damage was purely cosmetic." Donny reassured him. "Judging by your reaction, I think it's safe to assume that you can still achieve orgasm."

Raph retracted his penis and tucked his tail, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Thanks. I just don't know if I'm gonna want to any time soon. Just the sight of it is enough to kill the mood."

"Give it some more time," Donny said as he stood and walked over to a wash basin to clean his hands of the sticky substance that helps lubricate the passage of the penis out of the tail. After drying his hands, Donny picked up Snow and sat next to Raph. "Are you okay?"

"I refuse to let Hun win," Raph said. The small victory of making him scream was all Hun was going to get. Raph was not going to let what had happened break him. He was going to recover, get his strength back and go back to fighting the Purple Dragons. Above all else, Hun was going to die.

Tears filled Raph's eyes. "I'm not gonna let him win."

His throat closed up on him and his chest felt heavy. Images of the attack flooded his mind accompanied by the sound of laughter. They had humiliated him and mutilated his body in an attempt to rob him of what little freedom and joy he had in life. He thought back to how much he had just wanted to die.

"Why didn't I just go to Casey's that night?" he sobbed.


	7. Chapter 7

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 7

Under the Rain

Mikey ran through the downpour towards the barn. Lightning flashed overhead, followed by a loud boom of thunder, making the small turtle jump. Thunderstorms in New York were nothing compared to what they were in the country. Donny said it had something to do with the open fields allowing the clouds to get closer.

Mikey didn't care to know the science behind it. All he knew was that the storm was right on top of them and intensifying by the minute.

As he rushed into the barn, Mikey hoped that Raph was awake. It would be an added level of difficulty if Raph was in a drug induced slumber. Mikey didn't doubt his ability to lift his larger brother. It was just something he didn't want to do. He could imagine Raph waking up halfway to the house and being all pissy about it.

"Raph?" Mikey called out, wiping the water from his arms. "I know you don't really want any visitors but this is really important."

"What?" Raph called down from the loft. Good, at least he was awake.

"There is a severe storm warning," Mikey said as he walked over to stand under the loft door. "This mild drizzle that's going on now will get worse. A lot worse. We gotta get to the storm cellar." To emphasize his point the wind rattled the windows followed by another boom of thunder.

"I can't stay here?" Raph looked down at him.

Mikey shrugged, "If you don't mind risking your life. I mean, it's not like you wanna die…. Right?"

"I don't wanna die, Mikey," Raph replied, sounding a little annoyed as he disappeared over the edge. "Let me grab a few things."

"Take your time," Mikey quipped. "I'm sure the storm will wait."

"You know what," Raph said as he made his way down the ladder with a bag slung over his back. "I think you have used sarcasm so often you are unable to use any other form of communication. If this was such a big fucking deal, why did you wait so long to come and get me?"

They both paused and looked up as the barn groaned. The thunder popped and cracked before ending with a loud boom that Mikey could feel.

"We only just got the warning," Mikey explained, looking at Raph. "You don't get a lot of time with these things. And I'm not always sarcastic. It's a coping mechanism."

"Yeah," Raph sighed, hopping down from the last step. "We've all got a lot to cope with."

There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in Raph's voice. Mikey wasn't expecting that. Mouth agape, he watched Raph make his way towards the door. He was sure Raph was going to snap at him and it took him a moment to recover from the shock. "Thanks."

Stopping to look back at Mikey, Raph lifted an eye ridge and tilted his head, "For what?"

Mikey shook his head and let out a sad chuckle. His hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "For not…. How can I put this…? For not saying that I have nothing to complain about or making my troubles seem insignificant compared to yours. You know…? For not making it into a competition."

"I get it," Raph nodded. "I know you've been struggling with a few things for a while now, long before this happened to me. I'm not the only one with problems and I'm not going to make light of yours."

Struggling was an understatement. Their situation with being the only ones of their kind left Mikey feeling lonely. He would hide in the park at night to watch the couples as they strolled by, wishing he could have that kind of connection to someone. Then he would see the families and it would break his heart to know that he could never have that.

He envied Donatello. True, what Bishop had done to him was horrible, but at least he has little Snow to make up for it. Then there was Donny's relationship with Leatherhead.

After learning about Donny and Leatherhead, Michelangelo tried to get a relationship started with each of his brothers but none of them connected beyond platonic. Raphael understood what Mikey was going through. To be honest, he was going through the same thing, more or less. They all wanted the one thing that they knew they could never have; someone to love and a family. When they died, that would be it.

Mikey snorted, unsure how to respond to Raph. It wasn't like Raph to be so understanding when he had his own set of problems. "Who are you and what happened to my brother?"

"He got the shit beat out of him." Raph turned and continued on his way out of the barn.

"There you are," Mikey said as he followed.

Raph pushed the door open just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky followed by earth shaking thunder. Mikey screamed and grabbed hold of Raph. He never liked storms. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that their home used to flood all the time when it stormed. The fear of drowning was a silly thing for a turtle to have but Mikey had experienced strong undertows and nearly drowned enough times to feel justified in it.

The winds had picked up in the short period of time they were in the barn. Fortunately the storm cellar wasn't far away and Leo was standing by, waiting for them. Mikey wasn't too fond of the idea of going underground. What if there was flooding and the house fell on the cellar door, trapping them inside? He had to stop watching disaster movies. Like that was going to happen.

Raph grabbed hold of Mikey's hand and ran from the barn, pulling Mikey behind him. The cold rain stung Mikey's flesh and seemed to be raining sideways. As they approached, Leo yelled something but the wind carried it away.

They entered the cellar and Leo closed the door behind them, locking it against the storm. "What the hell took you so long?"

"I was up in the loft," Raph shot back. "I had just woken up. I'm still a little groggy."

Casey moved up beside Raph and placed his hand on Raph's shoulder. He started to say something but he ended up flinching and cursing as Raph turned to look at him. "You gotta do that thing with your eyes? It freaks me out. You look like zombies when you do that."

"What?" Raph looked up at his friend in confusion and then it dawned on him. "It's raining hard and we had to protect our eyes. So it suddenly freaks you out despite the fact that when you met me my membranes were closed. You've just been watching too much of The Walking Dead." Shaking his head, Raph looked away. "Besides, we both know it's not the membrane alone that freaks you out. It's that coupled with the way I look that reminds you of zombies."

"I never said that," Casey grabbed Raph and forced him to turn. "You know as well as I do that you were always ugly. I barely notice any change."

Mikey's heart was in his throat and they all waited in silence for Raph reaction. Was Raph ready for something like that? A year ago, a comment like that would have had Raph laughing and he would have cracked a joke back at Casey. But now?

Dropping his bag, Raph scoffed and swatted Casey's hand away. "Look in a mirror lately? Your face could frighten children. You don't gotta dress up for Halloween." He looked around at everyone looking at him. "You all can stop staring. The scars don't bother me. Who do I got to impress anyway? Snow ain't afraid of me, so I'm good."

He walked over and sat in the corner, pulling his legs up to his chest.

"There's still something bothering you though, Raph," Leo pressed, sitting across from Raph. "If there is anything you want to get off your chest, you might as well do it now. We're gonna be here a while."

Raph sighed, "I don't wanna be stuck in the lair all the time."

"You're not," Donny said as he bounced Snow in his arms. She had been crying the whole time with her hands covering her ear slits. The pressure in the room had changed so it was the likely reason for her discomfort. "We have the tunnel to April's apartment and we can come here every summer. Don't make assumptions about the future. There is a possibility that you will be able to get yourself back to fighting form. Even if you can't, you won't be kept a prisoner in the lair."

"The only thing I require," Splinter interjected, "is that you heal enough so that you no longer need the pain medication. I do not want your mind in a fog when you are out of the lair."

"Thanks to the mutagen in our system," Donny said, "you are healing quickly and better than I had originally thought you would. I give it a few more months and you should be able to go out again."

"But none of us will go out alone," Leo added, having to yell to be heard over the rain as it intensified. "We go out in at least pairs. We cannot conduct ourselves the way we used to. Hun and Bishop have stepped up their game."

All other conversation was stopped due to the howling wind. Even little Snow's cries were drowned out by the storm. April pressed into Casey's arms and Leatherhead curled around Donatello. Mikey couldn't help the swell of envy that overcame him. He wanted that kind of connection. He looked over at Leo then to Raph, finally deciding to simply wrap his arms around himself.

Mikey sighed. He could feel their brief fling with freedom recoiling back on them to make their lives worse. They got themselves involved in too many things and made too many enemies. Their life was dangerous before but it had been elevated to deadly. It seemed like they had more freedoms when they were children.

Leo liked his morning runs through the city, right before sunrise. It was a chance for him to be alone and clear his mind. He would have to have someone go with him if he ever wanted to do it again but that kind of defeated the purpose.

Donny liked to tinker with his projects at all hours of the day and night and enjoyed the freedom to go to the dump whenever he needed anything. The new restrictions were going to set him back do to the fact that he wasn't the type to wake someone up so that he would have someone to go with him.

Raph wouldn't be able to go out for a joy ride or run out of the lair whenever he was upset. Fortunately he had his room that he used to store all of his trinkets. Mikey had only managed a peek into the forbidden room. It was full of all the things Raph had collected over the years, dolls, dresses and jewelry.

Then there was Mikey. He loved to go out on his own as much as any of his brothers. He had discovered the wonderful world of Furries and frequented the conventions. He would show up naked and everyone there thought that he had an awesome costume, mostly since he spoke with his mouth closed. And Raph thought that Mikey's interest in ventriloquism was a pointless waste of time.

But all of that was over, for now. At least until they were able to get things back under control, if they ever could. No matter how much Mikey wanted a normal life, they were mutants, and it just wasn't in the cards for them.

Like most hard storms, the one over the farm didn't last long and was soon down to a light drizzle. Mikey's ears were ringing as the noise faded to silence.

Leo made his way up the stairs to open the cellar doors. As Leo reached up to unlock them, Raph declared, "I'm ready to go home." He was still sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His eye was staring off at nothing.

Leo stopped and turned to look at him. "Are you sure?"

With a slight nod, Raph answered without looking up, "I'm ready to get back to training. I wanna go home. And when we do, there is someone I need to visit."

"Who?" Splinter asked in such a way, it was clear that Raph was expected to answer.

"There's this old blind lady I visit," Raph said, looking at Splinter. "I met her years ago, after the Triceratons attacked." He looked up at Mikey. "She's the one I gave all that money to. I help her out around her place. She's probably worried about me by now."

"I'll go with you," Mikey offered, interested in meeting this old woman.

"I'll go as well," Leo said. "As soon as we get back to New York. We'll make this one exception but after that, you are not going out until you are off the pain pills. Understand?"

"Yeah," Raph agreed. "I don't think I need them anymore, anyway."

"Good," Donny smiled. "That's a good sign."

Leo turned back to the door, "Let's see if the house is still standing." He pushed the doors open and was met with a light drizzle. Climbing the remaining steps, Leo looked around. "It's a good thing Mikey went to get Raph out of the barn." He ducked down so he could look back down in the cellar. "Two walls fell. I don't think it will take much to get the other two down as well. On the plus side, the house looks to be in good condition. There are a few shingles in the yard but that is easily fixed."

"You take the guys back to New York," Casey said to April. "Ma and I will fix up the farm."

"We can stay for that," Raph argued. "No need for you and your mom to do it all on your own."

"You don't have to."

"We'll help clean up. We're not gonna build you a new barn or nothing but at least we can help pull the old one down and patch the roof."

"Anyone object?" Leo looked around at the others. When no one said anything, Leo nodded. "Alright then. We'll stay to help clean up before we head back to New York."

Raph got up and grabbed his bag from the floor then headed for the door. Mikey rushed up next to him. "I guess this means that you're gonna be staying in the house with us."

Raph chuckled, "I guess so."

"I'm glad you're doing better, Raph."

"Yeah." Raph climbed up the stairs in into the rain. "I'm getting there." He stepped out into the open field and lifted his head to let the rain wash over his face. His eye was open but his membrane was closed, protecting it.

Mikey stood watching him. Casey was right. The membrane, coupled with the scars, did add a death like look to Raph. But the rise and fall of his chest told Mikey that his brother was very much alive. Mikey walked over and grabbed Raph's hand, pulling his attention back down to earth. "Will you sleep next to me tonight?"

"Yeah," Raph answered and kissed the top of Mikey's head. "I will."

Their moment was shattered when a flash of lightning tore across the sky. Mikey pulled away from Raph and bolted for the house as fast as his legs could carry him.


	8. Chapter 8

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter #8

Drive

Knocking the rest of the barn down was easy enough to do. Donny used a grapping hook and a well-aimed throw from a safe distance to get a rope to one of the still standing walls. He took the other end of the rope and tied it to the truck. When everyone was clear, Casey eased the truck forward, pulling the wall down. As that wall fell, the others weren't far behind and the fallen structure was safe to approach.

They sorted through the wood and building materials to see if any of it was salvageable. It wouldn't be used to build a new barn, it was no longer sturdy enough, but it could be used to build furniture and the rest could be used as firewood.

The damage to the house, beyond the lost shingles, was minimal. One window was broken and the room was soaked but it wasn't too bad. Mrs. Jones hung what she could out to dry and Casey drove into town to buy a replacement window.

Even though everyone told Raph that he could take it easy, he insisted on helping. He climbed up on the roof with Casey and helped replace the lost shingles. Leo could see how much Raph's body hurt him, how his aim was still a little off, and how tired he would become, but Raph pushed through it. He was determined and Leo had to admit that it lifted his spirits to see it.

They stayed out at the farm for another week to help with the cleanup and repairs. When Cid showed up to help with the barn, he told them that he had some friends coming to help. That was the cue for the Turtles to leave.

April drove them back to New York, entering the city just after night fall. Raph had told her where to go and she drove them to visit Raph's friend, Mrs. Morrison first. April parked as close as she could get and the four Turtles and Splinter hopped out. April opted to wait in the van with Leatherhead and Snow.

Raph did a special knock on the door then waited. Lights came on and the door opened. "Raphael? Where have you been? I was so worried."

"I got hurt Mrs. M," Raph replied and moved in for a hug. "It was bad but I'm okay now." Leo panicked for a moment and then realized that Raph had been coming to see this woman for a few years. She had to have known that he was a mutant turtle by now.

When Raph pulled away, Mrs. Morrison's hands drifted up to his face. "Oh, sweetie. Come inside. I'll make us some tea and you can tell me what happened."

"My family's here," Raph said, reaching up to grab her hands. Holding on to her with one hand, Raph reached out and took a hold of Splinter's with the other. "This is my father."

"Pleased to finally get to meet you," she smiled, shaking Splinter's hand. "Please, come in and have a seat."

"The pleasure is mine," Splinter replied before entering her home.

One by one Raph pulled them all forward to introduce them before they walked inside. From the look on Mrs. Morrison's face, Leo could tell that she knew who each of them were. It left him to wonder what Raph had told her about them.

Mikey immediately gravitated towards Mrs. Morrison's cat while the others found a place to sit. They allowed Raph a few minutes to talk with her, their hands remaining clasped together the whole time. Every so often, Mrs. Morrison's hand would come up to touch Raph's face and not once did Raph flinch at her touch. In fact, he tended to lean into it.

Leo placed his hand on Raph's shoulder, "We don't want to keep April waiting for too long."

"Okay," Raph nodded and then said his goodbyes. Leo could see how much Raph had grown to love the old woman and how much she loved him in return. It was almost like Raph was keeping a secret grandmother from them for all this time and Leo was a little jealous of it.

They piled back into the van and April drove them to her place. Donny had secured the tunnels leading from her place to the lair and it would be the safest route for them to get back home. April didn't stay long, choosing to head back to the farm so she could be there to help with the cleanup. She only stayed long enough to let them in and then locked up behind them.

It was always the same whenever they were gone from the sewers for an extended period of time. The smell took some getting used to.

Leo had lost count the number of times they had to start over. After the near destruction of the reservoir pump station by the Foot and Hun, the Turtles had to find yet another place to call home.

They managed to find an old subway station from the early nineteen hundreds, complete with a rundown subway train. The station was large and looked like was meant to be more than just a place to get on and off the train, with a few retail areas. It had the beautiful architecture and lighting fixtures that were usually sought out in that time and even a mosaic but the station was also incomplete.

Leo remembered how Donatello had worked himself ragged putting up security in the new place while the rest of them worked to clean it out. Donny had hacked the city database and did his best to wipe clean any record of the place ever being built. He said it had been a big endeavor taken on by a business man who bit off more than he could chew. It had been pretty much forgotten.

Then they spent the better part of a month sealing it off and adding hidden entryways. Fortunately for them, the entryway from the streets had been knocked down and filled in long ago. Toilets were removed from the restrooms and showers were installed. Donny had even managed to get a hot tub that he had found at the dump working again.

One train car was converted into a kitchen and the one next to it was made into a dining room. The retail spaces were converted into bedrooms and the ancillary spaces were gutted and converted into a new lab for Donny and a living room on the higher levels, and a dojo with Splinter's room on the lower one.

They had barely had time to enjoy the fruits of their labor before Raph got hurt. Since they had decided to stay at the Foot headquarters while Raph healed, the new lair had remained unoccupied for nearly a year, though Donny and Leatherhead did frequent it from time to time.

As soon as they entered the lair, Donatello headed straight for his lab, mumbling something about getting back to a project he had been working on. The rest of the words that followed were technical jargon that Leonardo didn't understand. Leatherhead followed, carrying Snow in his arms.

Leo's eyes fell on the unused train car. Maybe if they started working on it they would be able to convert it in to a small room for Snow before her first birthday. It would be far away from Donny and Leatherhead's room, which was in the lab, but close to the other bed rooms. He would have to swing the idea by Donny later.

Raph went into his collection room which was right next to his bed room. Leo had an idea of what was in Raph's collection but he had never actually been in the room. He knew it was full of things fit to give a princess, something Raph had started when they were kids, back when he believed they were cursed. A lot of the things he had collected had been lost over the years but any time they had to move he would go back and managed to salvage a few items. It was sad knowing that he would never find anyone to give them to.

Leo headed to his room to meditate, ready to find his routine again. The door was open and, when Leo entered he found Mikey sitting on his bed. His blue eyes locked on to Leo and he pleaded, "Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"

"Sure," Leo answered, closing the door behind him. He didn't really want to be alone anyway.

The next morning Don was late for training so Leo was sent to get him. He headed up the ornate stairs to Donny's lab. The reinforced steel doors were closed but when Leo tested the handle, it was unlocked.

"Don?" Leo called out but kept his voice low. He didn't want to wake Snow if she was asleep.

"In a minute," Don answered.

Leo sighed. He hated having to put his foot down with any of his brothers, particularly with Don. He knew Don worked hard to keep them safe but he couldn't use it as an excuse to fall behind in his training, especially not with how dangerous New York had become.

"No, Donny," Leo said as he made his way to the back. "You're fifteen minutes late as it is."

Donny was sitting at his desk. All three computer monitors were on with multiple windows open on each. Whatever Don was working on, Leo couldn't decipher it. "Late?" Don turned to look at Leo. "It's morning?"

With a heavy sigh, Leo's hand came up to pinch the bridge of his beak. "Did you sleep?"

"I did for a bit, yes," Donny answered as he stood up. "Snow woke us up at some point for her nighttime feeding. While I was feeding her, I figured something out. After I put her back in her bed I went to work."

Leo looked around the room, "Where are Snow and Leatherhead?"

Donny shrugged, "She woke up again a little while ago. Leatherhead took her to get something to eat and some tummy time. They're probably in the living room by now."

"And you should be in the dojo," Leo added, crossing his arms. "What are you working on anyway?"

"Um…," Donny hit a button that closed all the windows. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

Walking around Leo, Donny made his way out of the lab, "We're late for training, right? Better get going."

"Right…." Leo watched Don rush from the lab. What could he be working on that would distract him so much but that he didn't want to talk about? He was usually open about his projects, answering any questions with longwinded answers that made the one making the inquiry regret they ever did. Was it personal, a surprise, or was it something that he knew he shouldn't be doing?"

After one last look around Don's lab, Leo made his way out and down to the dojo. By the time Leo entered, Splinter was finishing up a lecture on how Donatello should keep better track of his time. "If you let yourself get too exhausted, you will start to make mistakes. And mistakes in our lives can have disastrous results."

"I understand, Master Splinter," Donny said, keeping his head down as he remained kneeling on the floor.

Splinter glanced up at Leo then nodded to Donny. "Let us begin."

They started with their usual warm ups of yoga and simple katas then moved on to more complex sequences. For the first time in months, Raph joined them and managed to keep pace though he was sweating and grunting much more than the others.

Leonardo had already spoken to Splinter before training and had volunteered to be the one to spar with Raphael. Donatello and Michelangelo would go too easy on him, only managing to enrage Raph by damaging his ego. Leo was going to take the opportunity to help Raph improve by striking at his weaknesses. He knew it could backfire but he was willing to risk it.

Raph was there to help Leo back when he was recovering from Shredder's attack. No matter what, he was determined to repay Raph for it. What Leo had suffered at the hands of the Foot may not have been as bad as what had happened to Raph but he understood best what Raph was going through.

Raph had spent the time he was alone in the barn trying to recoup some of his lost muscle mass. There was some improvement but he was nowhere near where he was before. He was still weak compared to his brothers. As he was, he would probably be able to take out a common street thug using skill alone. However, there was no way he would be able to hold his own against a trained fighter.

He no longer had the strength or endurance that he used to have and it showed.

When they finished with their katas, Splinter had Raph and Leo sit off to the side and instructed Donny to spar with Mikey. It was apparent that Donny was sleep deprived in the way he fought and the openings that he left for Mikey. After his fourth time of landing on his face, Splinter called a halt to their match.

"Maybe tonight, you will make sure you get adequate sleep," Splinter chided as Donny pulled himself up off the floor.

"I think I will nap after training," Donny stated with a stifled yawn as he moved over to kneel.

Leo and Raph were up next to spar. It was clear that the brief rest was beneficial to Raph and he looked eager to fight. They stood facing each other. It was decided that Raph would be eased back into fighting and would start out in simple hand to hand combat.

Standing with his hands up and balled into fists, Raph took his stance while Leo kept his hands down to his sides. They waited for the signal to start. "Begin," Splinter ordered and Raph lunged. He was stiff from months without fighting, his body wasn't moving the way he wanted it to and his frustration showed.

Leo could see the determination in Raph's eye. He didn't want to be the weakest fighter or for his brothers to feel the need to protect him. He wanted his role back as the protector, the muscle, the tank. But he wasn't. Not yet anyway. Leo had no doubt that Raph could recover, stronger than ever but he was far from it.

Leo evaded Raph's attack with a step to the right and into Raph's blind spot. Raph hadn't had the chance to adjust his fighting technique for the loss of his left eye. Leo was going to push him until he learned how. He refused to mollycoddle his brother in this. Their ability to fight was their way to survival. If Raph couldn't fight, no matter how hard they tried to protect him, he would not survive.

Leo landed a punch on the sensitive bridge of Raph left side, just above the scar. He could have hit the injured spot but he made his point and Raph knew it.

Raph dropped down to try to sweep Leo's legs out from under him. A simple backflip got Leo out of range and to safety. As soon as he was back on his feet, Leo shifted his weight and lunged at Raph just as his brother was standing back up.

"Take it easy, Leo," Donny pleaded from the sidelines and it ignited an unexpected fire in Raph. Instead of trying to dodge Leo's attack, Raph turned to meet Leo head on. Raph needed to show them that he was still strong. Leo needed to show him that he wasn't.

Leo didn't hold back. It wouldn't help Raph to let him win. He still wasn't ready to leave the lair and Leo wasn't going to let him believe that he was. As much as it pained him to do it, Leo collided with Raph. Raph managed to take the blow and they locked hands. They grappled for a moment but it didn't take long for Leo to throw Raph to the ground.

Raph got up, springing into Leo from below. He had put a lot of force into the blow, but it didn't knock Leo down. Grabbing hold of Raph, Leo shifted his weight and, using Raph's momentum against him, threw Raph to the ground again.

Out of desperation, Raph struck. Leo evaded it then countered it, sending Raph to the floor once more.

"That's enough, Leo," Donny cried out. Leo chanced a glance at his brothers. Mikey was glaring at him, his bottom lip quivering and his eyes were wet with unshed tears. Donny looked ready to attack and probably would have if it weren't for Splinter, whose hand was on his shoulder, holding him down.

Raph pulled himself off the ground. His body shook and his chest heaved. Leo stood ready for another attack. Raph glanced over at him then looked away. Was that a tear?

"Thanks, Leo," Raph said, wiping the back of his hand across his beak and checking it for blood. "For not holding back."

Leo dropped his stance. "I knew you would appreciate it."

"Yeah." Raph took a deep, staggering breath. "I will beat you one day."

"I know you will."

They didn't move for a moment then they turned face each other once again. It was embedded in them. It didn't end until Splinter said it did. "That's enough," Splinter said softly. It was masked but Leo could hear the pain in his father's voice. "You are all dismissed."

Mikey was on his feet in and instant. He pushed past Leo to get to Raph and grabbed his hand. "Let's go soak in the hot tub. It will do you some good."

"Sure, Mikey," Raph mumbled and let himself be pulled away. As they passed, Raph looked up and gave Leo and slight smile to let him know that he was okay. Leo let out the breath that he didn't realize he had been holding, relieved to know that he had made the right decision.

As soon as they were gone Donny stood, "Did you have to be so hard on him? Were you trying to break his spirit?"

"Going easy on him would do him more harm than good," Leo argued. "Splinter and I agreed that it was for the best. I don't want to hurt him, Donny. But he needs to know that he's not ready to go to the surface yet. If he were to go up now…, even with all us to protect him… he would be killed. I would rather hurt his feelings than lose him."

"Yeah," Donny sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I guess you're right. I wouldn't have been able to do it, though."

"I would never ask you to," Leo said, placing his hand on Donny's shoulder. "I'll handle the hard stuff with Raph. Now, you go get some rest."

Don managed a breathy chuckle, "Gladly." He gave Leo a reassuring squeeze on the arm then left the dojo, shutting the door behind him.

Leo let out a ragged breath and fell to his knees. The morning had been emotionally draining and he was glad that it was over.


	9. Chapter 9

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 9

Test

Warning: Minor t-cest. Kissing.

If his counterpart from another dimension could do it with a flashlight and some spare parts then so could he. Donatello was a genius in his own right. He was able to get a good look at the handheld portal device that his counterpart had made. All he had to do was take that scaled down version and make it a little bigger.

Donatello placed his head on the desk. Was there some law of physics that didn't apply to his counterpart that was enforced on him?

All he wanted to do was look. It wasn't like he was trying to build a doorway between the dimensions. He sighed. Maybe that was his problem. Maybe it had to be a doorway.

A doorway would be harder to build and he wasn't sure where he would put it but he was already coming up with what he would need. He got up and searched through his storage closets.

As he rummaged through his supplies a hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Leatherhead with Snow in his arms. "How long has she been crying?" Leatherhead asked.

"Um…." Donatello had no idea. He hadn't heard her. He had honestly forgotten she was in the room with him. Leatherhead had placed her in there with Don to sleep since Mikey was making a lot of noise and he didn't want the noise to wake her.

"I opened the door and she was screaming," Leatherhead said. "How could you not hear her?"

"I was focused on work," Donatello answered. "You know how I can get. I learned to focus out all noise to the point that only Leo or Splinter's voices in a state of alarm could pull me from my thoughts."

"Then I will remember not to leave her alone with you while you work." There was a trace of anger in Leatherhead's words and they cut into Donny.

"I didn't mean to tune her out. I'm not used to her yet."

Leatherhead sighed. "You need to think about what is more important to you, Donatello. It's no longer just about you."

"It never has been," Donny snapped back. "I throw myself into work like this to protect my family. You think I want to stay in here, cooped up in my lab all day, worried about whether or not my security systems are adequate? I barely have any time for myself as it is. I'm always doing something for others. So forgive me for wanting to take a little time out for a personal project."

The words just flooded from him without giving them a second thought. Leatherhead's eyes narrowed. "I'll make sure you have time to yourself." He shifted his gazed down to Snow and left the lab.

"I didn't mean to snap," Donny called out as the door closed. He started pacing back and forth. "Why do I have to dedicate all my time for others? Is it really too much to ask for a little bit of me time? I'm not the only one in this lair who can watch Snow. Just because she came from me I have to be solely responsible for her? It's not like I wanted her in the first place…."

As he said the words he regretted them and was glad that there was no one in the room to hear him say them. He loved his daughter and would do anything for her. He just wanted time. His schedule was messed up enough as it was. It wasn't his intention to let his work consume most of his time. It was ingrained in him after so many years. It wasn't easy to adjust to accommodate the random needs of a child.

He walked over and collapsed onto the nest bed. "Ouch," he mumbled into the pillow as he pulled the hard plastic toy out from under him. Having a child was going to take some getting used to. He rolled to his back and held the toy up.

It was a multi-functional toy with parts that moved and spun. Like his life, it was more complicated than it really needed to be. He spun one of the parts and let his mind drift.

The solution to his earlier problem rushed in, pushing out any other thought. Dropping the toy, Don got up from the bed and started the construction of the portal's doorway.

Leonardo was sitting in his room, meditating. The space was still foreign to him. Getting used to a new place should be easy for him, he had done it enough. But it always took a while to feel comfortable in a new environment.

He tried to use familiar items to help in the process. Scent was an important thing to them so he used the same scented candles every time. Texture was the next thing and a soft rung was used to help with that. Finally, structure. He tried to meditate at the same time every day. Everything else will eventually fall into place.

The door opened. It was done quietly with every intention not to disturb Leo. There was a slight clang of bottles and the door was shut again. With a deep breath, Leo took in the scent of Michelangelo.

The youngest had become increasingly clingy. His room was used mostly to store his things because he never slept there. He usually chose to sleep in with Leo but would still occasionally curl up next to Raph. The companionship was more than welcome. Mikey wasn't the only one who desired the intimate bond of lovers.

The springs of Leo's bed creaked and the clanging bottles were place on the bedside table. The shifting across the sheets told Leo that Mikey was settling down on the bed to wait for Leo to finish.

A few years ago Mikey simply being in the room would have irritated Leo to the point of not being able to continue. But as it was, Mikey brought Leo comfort and helped to ease him into a meditative state.

Meditation was comforting and regenerating. He could breathe into sore muscles and ease the tension or clear his mind of anger and regret. He could sense his family and where they were. Though he couldn't read their thoughts he knew their emotional state of mind.

Raph was relaxing in his collection room where he spent a lot of his time. Leo suspected that he was still in denial over his condition, no matter how hard he tried to play it down. There were times Leo could sense his sadness and other times he was shut down completely. It varied throughout the day.

Don was in his lab, working on his secret project. He was determined to figure out what ever it was. It was a matter of pride for him to the point of obsession, something Leo had never seen in his brother before. He had been focused on a project before but not like this. It was almost like he had something to prove.

Leatherhead was in the living room with Snow. Leo could feel the love he felt for her radiate from him. It was a serine moment that filled Leo with joy and regret at the same time. He had grown to love Snow, just as everyone else had but it pained him to know that he would never be a father.

Splinter was meditating in his room. When Leo reached out to him, his father opened his mind further. Being able to connect to his father in such a way was a great point of pride for Leo. It was refreshing to know that if they were ever separated, Leo would be able to find his father.

With an inward sigh, Leo shifted his thoughts over to Mikey to find that his brother was nervous. Leo wondered what it was that was causing Mikey to feel that way. Opening his eyes, Leo looked over at Mikey who was lounging on the bed.

Then his eyes drifted over to the bedside table. For some reason, Mikey had brought in a six pack of beer. Leo figured that he might as well find out what Mikey had planned. "Did you need something, Mikey?"

Sitting up, Mikey looked like he had just been asked a trivia question without knowing the answer. He placed his hand on the bottles and forced one of his smiles. "I have wanted to try beer for a while now, Raph seems to like it, and I was wondering if you would like to try it with me."

Leo leaned over to blow out the candles. "I have no desire to drink."

"I…," Mikey sighed. "I was hoping that it would loosen us up a little bit."

"Loosen us up?" Leo repeated, looking at Mikey while lifting an eye ridge. He had an idea where Mikey was going but he had to make sure. "Why?"

"I thought that if we got drunk then we would be able to get over that first step… and…." His voice trailed off.

That would explain why he was nervous. Leo stood and walked towards the bed, "Mikey…."

"I want that kind of relationship, Leo." Mikey turned and pulled a bottle from the pack. "Can we at least try? If this doesn't work, I'll stop trying. I'll accept the fact that… I won't…."

A tear fell from Mikey's eye and, in that moment, Leo wished he could give Mikey what he wanted. He loved Mikey and he wanted the same thing but it wasn't enough. Mikey scent was all wrong and there was no desire. Maybe the alcohol will help to override that. Sitting on the bed, Leo took the bottle from Mikey. "Did you remember to bring a bottle opener?"

After wiping his hand across his eyes, Mikey reached over and picked up the bottle opener and handed it to Leo.

Leo had had beer once before and didn't care for its flavor. He lifted the bottle to his lips and took a sip, discovering that he still didn't like it.

"How does Raph drink this stuff?" Mikey said, holding the bottle out and sticking out his tongue.

"I think he does it for the effect," Leo said as he tapped the side of his head. "He likes to escape."

"It gets harder as we get older," Mikey mumbled as he studied the bottle. "I envy Donny."

Leo took another drink and leaned back against the headboard. "I think, in a way, we all do."

They sat in silence for a while as they drank through their first bottle. Halfway through the second Mikey looked at Leo and confessed. "I've had sex before."

Leo looked at him and lifted an eye ridge.

Mikey let out a soft chuckle. "Not counting the time with you." He took a deep breath. "I found a place where people like to dress up as animals. It's a big convention. Anyway, there are some people there that are kinda… kinky."

Leo felt his eyes go wide. "Kinky? Did you have sex with a human?"

Mikey blushed and picked at the label on the bottle, "I did. Two girls actually. One was dressed as a cat and the other one was a fox. It felt good but it still didn't feel right. It was… hallow." He looked up at Leo then balked a little at his expression. "I used a condom, more to protect them from bacterial infection than anything else. I made sure to take them with me, which was weird."

"They didn't suspect that you weren't in a costume?"

Mikey shrugged. "They thought that it was a really good costume. I wasn't able to use my mouth at all because I had to act like it was a mask." He shook his head. "One thing I know for sure, I don't want a human girlfriend. They just don't feel right. They are too soft and… not… deep enough."

"They do look a bit squishy," Leo agreed as he finished off his second bottle. "I want a strong mate with a hard shell." He reached over Mikey to grab his third bottle and popped it open. His head was getting a little fuzzy but he wouldn't say that he was intoxicated.

"The nice curve of a hard, well-rounded carapace to rub your plastron against would be nice," Mikey said with a distant look in his eyes. "I like to imagine what a girl turtle would look like." He scoffed, "Wouldn't look much different from a male."

"There would be a few differences," Leo corrected. "And who knows what the mutation would change. But they would smell right."

Mikey nodded, "Yeah." He suddenly perked up and slapped Leo's shoulder. "Does Karai still have any mutagen?"

"I know where you are going with this," Leo sighed. "No. And even if she did, we would not mutate female turtles for our own benefit."

Mikey made an unsavory sound out of his nose then downed the rest of his beer. "You're no fun, Leo."

"This life isn't fair and I don't want to inflict it on anyone else." He finished the rest of his beer and set the bottle down on the floor. "That's it, you only brought sex…, I mean six."

Mikey's resulting giggle snort had Leo laughing in kind. As they laughed, they shifted on the bed until they were lying facing each other. All giggling stopped as they looked into each other's eyes. Leo brought his hand up and ran his thumb over Mikey's cheek.

Changing positions, Mikey's rolled onto his back and Leo moved over him then settled between his legs. Leo leaned down and their lips met in a light kiss, their lips barely brushing together. "This is doing nothing for me," Leo admitted, pulling back. "I can make myself do it, I guess, but I really have no desire to."

"I…," Mikey took a deep breath and shook his head. "I really don't want your penis in me."

Leo touched his forehead to Mikey's. "I'm sorry, Mikey." Tears started to stream down Mikey's cheeks and Leo nuzzled his cheek. "We don't need sex to be happy."

"It's not just the sex, Leo," Mikey choked out. "If it was, I'd be fine doing those girls from the convention. And it's not something I need, it's something I want. I want that connection with someone."

"We can have that connection, without the sex," Leo said, looking in to Mikey's eyes.

Looking away, Mikey wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I guess it will have to do."

Donatello tightened the last screw on his 'doorway' then took the leading wires and connected them to a conduit that led to his computer. He worked on that stupid portable portal machine, he should understand how it worked. That childlike counterpart of his was not smarter than him.

He typed in the code and the machine started to hum. Light flickered in the 'doorway' but when Donny put his hand to it he touched the wall behind it.

What was he doing wrong?

Maybe physics did work differently in that world than it did for him. Maybe it was an impossible task Donny had set himself to.

He took a deep breath and settled his mind. No. If the other worlds existed then he will find a way to study them. He was close. There was just something that he wasn't seeing.


	10. Chapter 10

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 10

Illusion

Michelangelo was awoken from a deep sleep by Leonardo's thrashing. Another nightmare. He had them often, brought on by the stress of leadership. The fate of their small clan rested in his hands. Though he never told Mikey what the nightmares were about the youngest had a good idea.

The few words that Leo mumbled in his sleep and the way his body tensed and twitched were enough to let Mikey know. His nightmares were filled with his perceived failures. Of the time when they almost died when the Shredder's ship exploded, of the multiple near misses throughout their short lives and who knows what else. Their lives have almost ended more times than Mikey would like to count.

"No," Leo called out in his sleep in a breathy plea. He rolled over to his side and Mikey could see the scars on Leo's carapace. Bitter reminders of the time Karai ran him through. How could he now trust her? Maybe he didn't, not really, but saw that there was no other choice. They needed an ally.

The nightmares had increased in frequency after Don was captured by Bishop and have only gotten worse since. Leo tried not to let show but he took what happened to Don and Raph personally. He saw it as a failure on his part. He feared that one day his failure would cause one of them to die.

Leo's body twitched and his muscles tensed. Whatever he was dreaming about, it was intense.

"You're not a failure, Leo," Mikey whispered to him. "You're like Captain Kirk, the only one who was able to win against impossible odds. Only you didn't have to cheat to do it."

Leo chuckled and rolled back over to look up at Mikey, "Thanks, Mikey. But I think the Utroms teleporting us from the exploding ship counts as a cheat."

"You didn't fail us in that moment, Leo." Mikey pressed his head against Leo's. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," Leo smiled. "The dream woke me up."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Mikey ventured to ask.

Leo's answer was a flat, "No," putting an end to it.

"Oaky," Mikey snuggled against Leo. "I want you to know that… I think…," he didn't know how to put it. "You're a great leader Leo." He wanted to say more but he didn't know how to express it.

"Don't worry about my nightmares, Mikey," Leo said. "Having you here with me helps, a lot."

"I'm glad I can help."

Raph woke up in a cold sweat. His muscles trembled with the effort of moving them. Pain coursed through every part of him. It was too much.

Rolling to his side he managed to work his way out of his hammock. The simple effort of it strained and exhausted the already pained and tired muscles.

He had gone to bed without taking his pain medication. It had been his third attempt to stop taking the pills but every time he did his body hurt. So, even though he had told his family that he was no longer taking them, he continued relying on the pills to manage his pain.

Splinter had said that Raph had to be off the pills before he was going to be allowed to go out because he feared that they would addle his mind. But they no longer made him tired, he would have to take several to achieve that effect, they kept the pain away so that he could function. They actually helped to keep his mind clear.

His hands shook as he reached for the pill bottle and he struggled to open it. What good would he be to his family like this? Dumping three into his hand, Raph then looked to see how many he had left. How was the bottle so low already? He swore he got it only a few nights ago. It was a month's supply.

Fortunately for him the Purple Dragons dealt in trafficking prescription medications so he didn't have to take it from the hospital. But that would have to wait for nightfall. Until then, Raph would have to get by with what he had. To make his supply last longer, Raph dropped one of the pills back into the bottle. Two would have to do for now. He could manage with a little bit of pain.

The dosage was supposed to be just one every six hours but that no longer worked. He needed at least three. He figured it was because he grabbed the wrong dosage in his haste last time. He made a mental note to make sure to get a stronger dosage and a larger bottle when he raided the Dragon's hideout.

Dry swallowing the two in his hand, Raph leaned against the wall to wait for them to take effect. It didn't take long for Raph to start feeling better. With a sigh of relief, he stood up and stretched. He looked at the pill bottle in his hand. Just a little longer, he thought to himself. Just a little longer then he would stop taking the pills. He just needed the pain to end first.

He wouldn't be able to go out if he was in pain.

Exiting his room, Raph was met with the scent of breakfast. He didn't have to see who was cooking to know who it was. They each had their own go to dishes when it was their turn to cook. Mikey stuck with simple scrambled eggs and toast. Donny, with his sweet tooth, liked to make waffles or pancakes. Raph liked to make oatmeal or cream of wheat and spruce it up with dried fruit and nuts. But the aroma that came from the kitchen was that of stuffed French toast, which told Raph that Leo was making breakfast.

Leo liked the more intricate meals that consisted of a few more steps than the others. Dinners were no different. Mikey kept it simple. Donny made sweet meals. Raph grilled. And Leo spent nearly an hour doing the prep work alone.

Raph's stomach let him know that he was hungry so he made his way to the dining cart. He knew better than to go into the kitchen when Leo was working.

The rest of the family was already in their seats, waiting for Leo to finish. As he said his good mornings to everyone, Raph took his seat.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Donny asked. "Any pain?"

"I'm good," Raph lied, or gave his half-truth. "There's a little bit of tightness but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I think the extra wrappings on your joints are cool looking," Mikey said, out of the blue. "I might start doing it just for the look. Also when we do fight, our enemies will think that we do it to look cool and not that you need the extra support."

"It might be wise for all of you to take the extra precaution to protect your joints," Splinter added. "The amount of vigorous activity you four put yourselves through it's a wonder that none have you have suffered joint damage already."

Donny nodded, "You have a point. I'll look into getting us all adequate support."

"Support for what?" Leo asked as he entered the dining cart carrying a plate piled high with stuffed French toast.

"We're all gonna start wearing extra support on our joints," Mikey answered, nabbing a piece as soon as Leo placed the plate on the table.

"That is a good idea," Leo agreed. He served himself then passed the plate to Raph. "Maybe we can put some over Mikey's mouth to actually keep him quiet when we are out on a mission." Leo smiled and looked at Mikey, who let out a sarcastic laugh but said nothing in response.

After breakfast they were given an hour to digest before training began. Raph took that opportunity to spend some time with Snow while Donny went back to whatever project he was working on.

Snow's tail was long enough that it was able to wrap around Raph's arm and hold tight. "You're a strong girl," Raph smiled down at her. He was sitting on the floor in his extra room with Snow in his lap. She was able to sit up on her own but he liked to hold her.

There was an old clothing rack with formal dresses hung on it that was against the opposite wall. He looked up at the dressed and thought back to the time when he wanted to see Joi in those dresses. He laughed at himself as the thought about his little crush on her.

She didn't seem to be the formal dress wearing type.

"I was such a fool," he said to Snow. "We got along great but… we wouldn't have worked. I liked her. But it was the same as it is with Donny. There was just something missing. Her body was all wrong and just like Donny her scent wasn't right."

He leaned his head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm just going to have to accept it." He looked back down at Snow. "You are going to have it worse. Or maybe you won't. I guess that all depends on when the aliens get here. Again."

He sighed and leaned in close. "I've seen the future, but a long time from now. It took time to get to that point. So maybe in your life time you will be able to walk among the humans without any fear. The way Cody made it sound, you should."

Her legs kicked against him and she cooed. Raph couldn't help but smile. It was hard not to and for a moment he felt at peace.

They spent the hour together and it went by quickly. Leatherhead knocked on the door to let Raph know that it was time for training. Raph left Snow with him and then headed over to the dojo.

The others were already there. He joined them on the floor, kneeling before Splinter and waited to begin.

Raph had continued to improve. Donny had said that it had to do with the fact that they were mutants. The scars stayed, along with some of the deformities but damaged tendons, that would have left a human crippled, mended themselves. Even his problems with his intestines seemed to work themselves out. It was the little things that made him love being a mutant.

In the three months since Raph had rejoined his brothers for morning training, he had improved to the point where he was able to hold his own against them. He was even able to grip and hold his sai again. He wasn't up to where he was before the attack yet and he still had to rebuild the muscle. Despite it all, he still managed to land a few blows to each of his brothers.

It felt good to be able to fight again and for his body to do what it was supposed to.

The worst part was his aim. He used to be the best when it came to hitting the target with daggers and stars but do to the loss of his left eye he was unable to hit his mark. He didn't need the depth perception in close combat so the loss of the eye didn't affect that as much.

After training was over they once again knelt down in front of their father. Splinter took a deep breath and looked at Raph. "You have improved a great deal, my son. And because of this I will allow you to go to the surface once again." Before Raph could say anything, Splinter held up his hand. "However, you must only go when all three of your brothers can accompany you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, father," Raph agreed, bowing deep to hide the pang of guilt. He hated lying to his father but he couldn't stand having to stay in the lair much longer. "Thank you, father."

After regaining his composure, Raph sat up and looked at his brothers. "Would you guys be alright with going to see Mrs. M?"

Leo nodded, "We can do that."

"But for only an hour," Donny added.

"Donny," Mikey chided him.

Raph placed his hand on Mikey's shoulder. "It's okay. An hour is more than enough time. I was just wondering if I could be alone in there with her."

"Nothing funny's going on is there, Raph?" Mikey teased, flashing him a huge grin.

"God no!" Raph pushed him down. "Get that out of your head."

They were dismissed and rest of the day progressed as usual. Mikey played videogames, Leo did some more training, Don vanished into his lab and Raph hit the weights.

As Raph used the free weights he was able to see into the dojo and watched Leo run through some complex katas. Raph couldn't help but notice that he was a little off. "You okay, Leo?"

Leo paused and looked over at Raph. "I'm fine. Why?"

Raph shrugged, "You just look a little… tired."

"Mikey had bad gas last night," Leo answered then went back to his kata.

"I guess that would be my fault," Raph chuckled. He had cooked dinner the night before. The only thing was there was nothing in the meal he made that should have given Mikey gas. Maybe he snuck into the kitchen after dinner and ate some more. Raph has no idea where he puts it all or how he stays so slight.

"I'm sure it's Mikey's," Leo said as he flowed through to the next stance. Watching Leo move was as tranquil as watching the water flow down a river on a lazy spring day. There was no hesitation in his movements. Even in his current state of exhaustion he barely faltered.

After he was done exercising, Raph managed to get through lunch before heading to his room for more pills. He looked at the two pills in his hand and considered not taking them. But then his hand started to tremble and he took them.

That night they headed out of the lair and Raph could hardly contain himself. He was going to the surface. Anytime he went out to steal pills from the Purple Dragons Raph stayed to the sewers and entered the warehouse from underneath. So he never actually went outside.

He stumbled on Hun's stash by accident one night on his way to the hospital, to see if there were any pills to take from the special site used to dispose unused prescription medicine. He saw it as a bit of vindication to get back a Hun for beating him up in the first place. Raph never took much, probably the same amount as some of Hun's goons.

He got in grabbed what he needed and got out then back to the lair before anyone knew that he was gone. The hardest part was lying to his family about it. But he wouldn't be allowed to go to the surface if they knew.

When they got to Mrs. Morrison's place, Raph dropped down into the ally while the other's stayed on the roof. He did his special knock and it wasn't long before the lights came on and the door opened. He loved to see how her face lit up when she greeted him. No one else has ever been so happy to see him.

"Come in. Come in," she said as she ushered him inside and closed the door. "We didn't get long to talk last time you were here. I could tell that you were holding something back and I have been so worried."

Raph kept a tight hold on her hand as they made their way to the sofa. "I didn't want to get in to too much with my family here. And Master Splinter wanted me back up to a certain level before he allowed me to leave the lair again."

"That's understandable, dear." They sat on the sofa and her hands came up to touch Raph's face. "Oh, you poor child. You are too young to face such horrors."

With a bitter chuckle, Raph leaned into her touch. "I have faced more horrors than most men much older than me."

"I'm sure you have," she whispered. She patted his cheek then stood up. "Would you like some cookies? I heard about these new morsels that have filling like caramel and mint. I had the lady who gets me my groceries buy me a few bags. I will admit that I ate a few before I added them to the mix."

Raph chuckled, "I would love some."

"Would you like to take some home to your family?" she asked from the kitchen. "I made a lot. I tend to get carried away."

"I'm sure they would appreciate it," Raph called back. "Fresh baked cookies are a luxury item for us."

"I'll put some in a bag then." She soon returned with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. She handed them to Raph and then sat down then gave Raph a chance to eat before asking, "Are you doing alright?"

Raph sighed. "I'm okay."

"Raphael," Mrs. Morrison chided lightly. "I know that something is bothering you." Her hand came up and caressed his cheek. "You never held back from me before. Why start now? I mean, you told me about your feelings for Joi and what happened with your brother. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"I remember everything that was done to me," Raph admitted. He wanted to tell her everything but he also wanted to spare her the details. Tears started to fall and he didn't even try to stop them. He leaned down and placed his head in her lap. "He humiliated me and laughed while he did it. I can still hear his laughter in my dreams. There are times that I don't let it get to me and then there are days that I wish he had killed me."

"You can rise above this," she soothed as he cried, running her hand over his carapace. She had no idea how nice it felt to have his carapace rubbed. If he could, he would be purring. Or maybe she did know. She had told him before that she had a pet turtle when she was younger.

He loved having her in his life. He brought comfort to her as much as she comforted him. She didn't have much family and none of them lived in the area. So she looked forward to his visits as much as he did.

"So when do I get to meet this baby of yours?" Mrs. Morrison asked. "It's been too long since I've held a baby."

Raph chuckled, grateful for the change of topic and he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Maybe I'll get April to come and get you one day and lead you to the lair. It wouldn't be safe to leave the lair with Snow."

"That's understandable," she nodded. "Is she sitting up yet?"

"Yeah," Raph smiled. "She's strong. She can sit on her own and roll over. She can even scoot across the floor in a kind of commando crawl and she's trying to pull herself up."

Mrs. Morrison chuckled. "Sounds to me like she is going to be an early walker. My son was walking by eight months." Her voice took on a hint of pain. It always did when she mentioned her children. It wasn't right for a parent to outlive their children.

"As soon as she learns to walk she will start her training," Raph said in jest. "She has a hard life ahead of her."

"I pray for your happiness every day, Raphael."

"I get moments," Raph replied. "But overall happiness isn't in the cards for someone like me and my brothers. Well, Don was able to find a little more than the rest of us."

"I will continue to pray. Maybe you will be surprised."

They continued to talk with Raph lying across Mrs. Morison's lap as she stroked his shell and time passed all too quickly. A gentle knock on the door told Raph that his hour was up. He got up, said his goodbye then saw himself out.

"Here," he handed Don the bag of cookies. "To make it all worth your while."

Donny looked in the brown paper bag, "Cookies!" He reached in and pulled one out. "Chocolate, chocolate chip." His eyes lit up when he took a bite. "With mint. These are wonderful."

Raph chuckled. "She loves to make cookies. I'll let her know that you like them."

"Let's get back to the lair," Leo said, snatching the bag from Don before Mikey was able to grab a cookie. "We can indulge ourselves when we are safe at home."

Mikey moaned but then was the first to make his way up to the rooftops. "Then let's hurry back!"


	11. Chapter 11

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 11

Creation

"Please work," Donny whispered with his eyes closed as he pressed the button. He heard the machine whirl to life but that didn't mean anything, he knew that the power supply was working fine. It was everything else that was giving him problems. He was constantly getting nothing but an image of the brick wall. He was starting to lose hope.

Tilting his head towards the portal door, Donny opened his eyes. A smile spread across his face as he took in the image in front of him. He could see the prime world in all of its black and white glory. "I did it!" he jumped up from his seat to stand in front of the portal. Months of work had finally paid off. "I did it!"

"Did what, my love?" Leatherhead asked as he walked into the lab with Snow in his arms.

"Look, Kroki," Don smiled, pointing to the portal. "I did it. I created a portal into the multiverse."

"That's what you've been working on?" Leatherhead asked as he stepped toward the portal. "Your personal project was a portal device. Why?"

"Research," Donny said, telling Leatherhead a half truth. The answer, 'Because I wanted to prove that I was as smart as my counterpart,' didn't sound as good. He then turned to his computer. "I can even set it up to find anyone within the world, so long as they exist there. Let's see if you were part of Turtle prime." Typing in the code, Don chuckled lightly. "Well, I guess we are also testing if I programmed this thing right."

They watched as the portal shifted to reveal the image of Leatherhead's counterpart, slumbering by a pool of water in the sewers. Pride swelled inside of Donatello as he looked at the image through the portal. He had managed to pull it off.

"Can he see us?" Leatherhead asked.

"I don't know," Don admitted. "I haven't actually tested to see if the portal worked beyond viewing. I am fairly certain that it is a one way device. I'll see if I can put my hand through it."

"Change it to someone else before you do," Leatherhead requested. "We don't know the mental stability of this Leatherhead or the extent of the portal yet. I don't want him coming through in a fit of rage."

"Alright," Donny nodded and turned back to his computer. "Let's see what April is doing."

She appeared in the portal and Don noticed how different she looked from the April he knew. She had dark curly hair and tan skin. She was sitting at a small kitchen table in an apartment while sipping what looked to be coffee. The most noticeable difference was the small child playing on the floor just a few feet away. The April and Casey he knew hadn't had a child yet.

Based off the looks of the little girl, it was obvious that she was not April's child. Maybe she was babysitting. Casey soon joined the scene, saying something about fixing the garbage disposal in another apartment then changing the locks on yet another. April nodded and lifted her head as Casey bent down for a kiss. Casey then made his way out of the apartment, stopping to kiss the little girl on the head before leaving.

"This is so cool." Donny walked back up to the portal and placed his hand on it. "It tingles."

April and the little girl didn't seem to notice.

"Maybe I should do this where no one is around," Don thought out loud. "I don't want to freak anyone out with a disembodied hand. I'm sure this April has had her fair share of near heart attacks as it is."

"Good call," Leatherhead agreed.

Once again, Don returned to the computer and typed in the code to move the portal to a place that was unoccupied. This time when he touched his hand to the screen Don pushed his hand through. There was a bit of resistance but not much. He then quickly pulled it back out. "It seems that it works."

"It appears so," Leatherhead walked up to Don. "Now, what are you going to do with it?"

"I want to study the multiverse." Don answered. "I want to see how we live in other worlds. The ones we've already met were so different and yet… the same." He keyed in another code and a new world appeared. "This is the other world we have already experienced.

"It's kind of comical." A sly smile spread across Don's face. "Let's see what you look like in this one." He keyed in the code and nearly choked on his laughter when Leatherhead's counterpart appeared in the portal.

Leatherhead, however, was more befuddled than amused. "What is he wearing?"

The other world Leatherhead had on a hunter's hat, blue pants, boots, and a torn up yellow vest. He was traipsing through what looked like a swamp. When the croc spoke it only caused Donatello to lose his control over his laughter.

"I don't know," Donatello chuckled, shaking his head. "Judging by his appearance and the way he speaks, I'm going to guess that he is living in Louisiana and isn't half the genius that you are."

"I am glad that you are finding this to be so humorous," Leatherhead chuckled.

It took a few moments for Donatello to stop laughing. He was so over joyed that his devise was functional that the smallest things were able to set him off into another fit of laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he was so happy.

Don took deep breaths to calm himself. "I wanna see more in this world." He looked for Casey and once again nearly lost himself in laughter. It was contagious and Leatherhead soon joined him in the merriment.

"What's going on in here?" Raph asked as he walked in to the lab. "What's so funny? Am I missing something with Snow?"

Donny could only point at the portal as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Leatherhead was more in control of himself so he was able to answer. "Donatello managed to create a portal and is looking at our counterparts from other worlds. He finds it… humorous. I think it also has something to do with the fact that he hasn't had a lot of sleep."

"Look at Casey," Donatello choked out before sucking in a breath and returned to laughing.

Raph looked through the portal and couldn't help but chuckle. "And here I thought our Casey had a poor sense of fashion. This guy looks like a bad eighties movie punk. It seems to fit with those wacked out turtles." He looked over at Don, "Speaking of which, what are our counterparts up to?"

Donatello managed to work the keys well enough to have the system look for Raph's counterpart.

After a few seconds Raph blurted out, "What the hell?" silencing Don's laughter. Wondering what had managed to upset his brother, Don looked at the portal. He saw Raph's counterpart kissing a mutated lizard woman. "That geek has a girlfriend? Why does he get a girlfriend?"

Don shrugged, "The mutagen was readily available in that dimension so it's fair to assume that there are quite a few mutants. Some of them were bound to be female."

"Fair? Lucky bastard," Raph mumbled. "I wouldn't mind a mutant lizard girlfriend. "I could deal with the hair and breasts."

"How about we find you in another dimension," Don offered as he pressed the buttons.

When the new image came up, Raph chuckled slightly. "That's not much better." At least he was able to find some humor in the situation. The actions on the other side of the portal were similar to the ones before, though this time he was making out with a fox woman. "I think I liked the lizard better. All that fur would get annoying. Cleaning up after was Splinter sheds is bad enough."

"At least you know that you get some action in other dimensions. Let's try another," Donny chuckled.

"Oh fuck," Raph burst out laughing at the image of his and Don's counterparts in the process of some intense sex. Raph squinted his eyes, "You have a human like penis coming out of your plastron."

"I'm not very fond of this one," Leatherhead stated in a flat tone. "And Snow doesn't really need to be seeing it."

"I'm typing as fast as I can," Don said as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

The portal shifted again and Raph tilted his head as he considered the image. "I'm dressed as a cowboy."

"It appears that you are," Donny agreed.

"Do another," Raph grinned. "This is actually kinda fun."

They spent the next hour looking at different dimensions through the portal. Some were just like their world. Others were vastly different. A few had them near hysterics with laughter. The strangest ones for Don were the ones where their counterparts were human.

They watched one where one turtle showed up when Don searched for both Leo and Raph and another showed up when Don searched for himself and Mikey. The world was flooded with mutants. The parts that were most different were the fact that they were raised by Baxter Stockman and Splinter was nowhere to be found. He wrote down the information needed to return to the dimension later. It was fascinating and he wanted to know more.

In another dimension Raph and Mikey were angels where Don and Leo were demons. It was a little unnerving for Don to see himself as a demon. The creature seemed to enjoy hurting others. And Leo's counterpart in that world was obsessed with Mikey.

For the most part the worlds were the same as theirs; four Turtles, living in the sewers with their rat master. He even found a few where there was a fifth turtle who was female.

"She has boobs," Raph said shaking his head. "How does that work."

"They wouldn't be functional," Don said. "Or soft." She wasn't the first mutant turtle they had seen in their search. They had come across a few female turtles with breasts that varied in size. Some were painfully large. "I don't see how they can fight with those in the way. And they would cause back problems."

In the worlds that were most similar it was only a few everyday things that differed from world to world. There were several where they had girlfriends who varied from humans to mutants of all kinds. There were a few where they had boyfriends. They also came across a few more where they were with each other. It brought a smile to Don's face whenever he came across another dimension where he was with Leatherhead.

Raph stood in front of the portal, crossing his arms as he considered it. "What happens if you go through it?"

Don shrugged, "We would be in that world."

"Yeah, but," Raph looked over at Don. "How would you get back?"

"Um…." Don shook his head. "I don't really know."

Raph took a step back from the portal, "So if something were to happen while this thing was functional and I fell through the portal, I would be stuck in whatever dimension it was on?"

"I never intended to go through it," Don said. As he slowly stood, his mind raced with possibilities and then it went to worst case scenarios.

Memories from his trip to the future flashed through his mind. He had vanished. What if he had vanished through a portal and was stuck in another dimension? What if that future was still possible? Maybe Shredder wasn't dead.

Panic filled him. He hadn't thought about the possibility of going through the portal. He just wanted to look through it, to prove that he could build one, nothing more. His hands trembled as he pressed the buttons to turn the portal off. He stuck his hand through it. What if it had sucked him through?

"Don, you okay?" Raph asked, stepping close. "You look like you are about to be sick."

"How could I be so stupid?" Don whispered to himself.

Leatherhead passed Snow to Raph and then rushed over to Donny. "What is it, my love?"

"I could have… that future… I watched them all die. It's my fault." Don rambled, unable to gather his thoughts. "I almost made it happen. I never considered. It was so… depressing. I was so focused on getting it done… I didn't think…."

Leatherhead soothed Donatello, pulling him close. "Hush now, my love. Nothing happened. Everything is going to be alright."

"I'll leave the two of you alone," Raph said, turning for the door.

"He just needs some sleep," Leatherhead said as he guided Don to the bed. "I'll stay with him to make sure he sleeps well."

"I'll take care of Snow," Raph nodded, closing the door behind him.


	12. Chapter 12

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 12

67%

Leonardo and Michelangelo were alone on patrol as they ran over the city rooftops. It was a warm night in the Big Apple and a little humid. Mikey loved it. It was a whole lot better than being cold.

Raph had opted out of parole, deciding instead to tend to Snow. He had gotten in the habit of having her sleep in with him, refusing to let Don make her cry herself to sleep. It was a sour spot for the trio of parents. "Don't expect me to fix it later," Don would yell at Raph. "You are spoiling her." Raph wouldn't respond but simply go to his room and shut the door.

When Leo had gone to get Donny for patrol, Leatherhead had pleaded with them to led Donny sleep, something he hadn't been doing a lot of over the past few days. His portal project had been consuming almost all of his free time. Add to that all of his other duties within the lair and he barely had any time for sleep or anything else for that matter. The exasperated sigh from Leatherhead told Mikey that the large crock was not all that happy about Don's project.

So the two were on their own and Leo had decided to make a trip to visit Karai. Mikey was a little iffy about it, he didn't fully trust their former enemy even though she was instrumental in saving Raph's life. But, he could see how much Leo wanted an alliance with her. He believed she had changed.

"Why are we here?" Mikey asked when they reached the foot headquarters.

"You got me thinking the other night when you asked if Karai had any more mutagen." Leo answered. "We are here to ask her if she does."

"And if she does are we gonna mutate us some girlfriends?" Mikey asked, knowing quite well what the answer was going to be.

Leo simply glared at Mikey and then for good measure, smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ouch," Mikey complained, rubbing his head. "A simple 'no' would have worked."

They didn't have to wait long before a Foot ninja approached them. Leo and Mikey bowed to the ninja and then followed him into the compound. Leo allowed himself a soft smile, showing that he was at ease in their environment.

The ninja led the pair to where Karai was waiting. When they entered a genuine smile brightened her face as she turned to great them. It was a vast contrast to the hard mask of indifference or anger that she used to wear whenever they were around. She was actually quite pretty when she smiled. Mikey chanced a glance at Leo and saw that his smile had widened as well, leaving Mikey to wonder if he had a mild crush on their former enemy.

"Hello, Leonardo. Michelangelo," she bowed to them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Have you reconsidered joining the Foot?"

Once again Mikey glanced at Leo, looking for a reaction. So they had been offered a spot in the Foot clan, not just an alliance. Leo's smile dropped a little and Mikey could read regret in his older brother's eyes.

Leo shook his head, stopping a respectable distance from Karai. "I am not quite ready to make such an extreme leap of faith. My trust in you grows Karai but it's still not enough to join you just yet. Even if I wanted to join you now, my brothers are less trusting of you than I am. Instead, we are here because I am curious to know if you still have any mutagen in your possession."

"Ah," Karai nodded as the smile faded from her features. "I am still in possession of a few vials of it. Doctor Chaplin has been studying it in hopes of developing medicine."

"That is all he is studying it for?" Leo asked, crossing his arms over his plastron.

"I assure you," she insisted, "our intentions are pure. We have not forced mutations on anyone, though a few more have come forward with the desire to be mutated. After a few weeks with the clan psychiatrist to make sure it was what they really wanted, I granted the mutations."

Mikey couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be a mutant. It wasn't easy having to stay hidden from the rest of the world. He figured that the Foot ninja had a slightly easier time with it do to the fact that they were part of a large organization that took care of them.

"Do any of them happen to be female and turtles?" Mikey asked, earning himself a piercing glare from Leo. "What? You might be okay with leading a celibate and loveless life but I have needs."

"Get them under control," Leo growled.

Karai chuckled, causing both Leo and Mikey to look up at her in surprise. It wasn't her typical maniacal laugh. It was actually melodic and cheerful. Mikey didn't think she was capable of such a feminine sound. "All of the ones who have been mutated chose a mammal of some sort. Sorry, no turtles."

"Forgive my brother," Leo bowed. "Sometimes he speaks without thinking it through."

"I can only begin to imagine what it would be like to live your life," Karai said, shaking her head. "Michelangelo's question is understandable." She thought for a moment before speaking. "My father…. Shredder had only used about a third of the mutagen we had collected from his counterpart. If, by chance, you manage to find someone to love who wishes to be mutated for you then I will gladly assist them with that. But it must be something that they do willingly."

"Thank you," Mikey mumbled, bowing his head. "I don't think it will ever come to that but it is comforting to know that the option exists."

"You never know," Karai smiled. "Some of the recent requests were from the girlfriends and wives of the men who were mutated. We are actually expecting our first child from one of the couples."

"Really?" Mikey felt his heart sink. He was actually considering siding with Leo in the argument of joining the Foot. Maybe he would meet a nice ninja woman who would be willing to mutate into a turtle for him. To have that deeper connection with someone, Mikey would give up every comic book he owned. He wanted it more than anything.

Leo smiled and said, as if he could read Mikey's mind, "I think you might have just convinced Mikey to join the Foot for me. Now we just need to come up with ways to sway the other two and we'll be moving in."

"It's tempting," Mikey admitted with a huge grin. "Good luck convincing Don and Raph though."

"I am still looking for some qualified ninja to replace the Elite," Karai said.

Mikey chuckled, "Do we get to wear the cool hats?"

"Only if you really want to."

"Sign me up," Mikey replied, drawing a soft chuckle from his brother.

Taking on a serious tone, Karai looked at Leo again. "I will not do anything illegal with the mutagen. Chaplin is looking in to different applications for it. I want to atone for the crimes the Foot has committed in the past. Finding a cure to some horrific disease would only be a start. Do I have your trust in this, Leonardo?"

With a slight nod, Leo answered, "You do."

"Thank you," Karai bowed. When she straightened back out the smile was back. "Since you are here, how about a little training? I am having a hard time finding someone skilled enough to spar with me lately. It is tedious and boring to start a fight that I know I am going to win."

"I would be honored," Leo smiled in return.

"Would you two mind if I wandered around for a little bit while you two played?" Mikey asked, backing up to the door. "I'm not really in the mood for more training. Maybe I'll hit the cafeteria and get myself some of that soft serve ice cream."

Leo looked to Karai, who nodded her head. "I have no secrets from you. You are free to go where you like. I'm sure you remember your way to the cafeteria."

"I can find my way with my eyes closed," Mikey replied, making his way out the door. "Call me when you're done," he called back to Leo as he started to run down the hall.

Mikey ran through the halls on a direct route to the cafeteria. An ice cream station was not something one would expect to see in the lair of a villain. It left Mikey to wonder if Shredder had actually supplied it for the Foot or if it was something Karai had added when she took over. Either way, it was Mikey's favorite part.

There were a few Foot soldiers in the cafeteria and they didn't seem to mind when Mikey entered. A few of them waved at him and he waved back on his way to the ice cream. During the time that the Turtles had stayed at the Foot compound, they usually ate together and the Foot left them alone. So they never really made any friends.

Picking up the biggest bowl he could get his hands on, Mikey placed some pieces of gingerbread in the bottom before heading to the ice cream machine. He then topped it with vanilla soft serve, whipped cream and caramel.

Sitting at the nearest empty table, Mikey started into what he knew would only be his first bowl. He wasn't able to take his first bite before one of the mutated ninja sat across from him. He was a large cat of some sort. Mikey had no clue which one though. They all looked the same to him. He could have been a house cat for all he knew. Mikey stopped with the spoon held up near his mouth and smiled. "Hi," he said then took the bite.

"I have fought you many times but now I am to view you as an ally," the ninja said.

"Tell me about it, cat dude," Mikey sighed after swallowing. "Imagine what it's like for us. We had to trust someone, who had tried multiple times in the past to kill us, to save our brother. That was a nerve racking time for all of us."

"I'm a puma," the ninja corrected.

"Do you like being a mutant now?" Mikey asked after taking another bite.

The ninja nodded, "I am faster, stronger and more agile than I was as a human. I do not regret my decision to volunteer."

"Do you ever miss the life you had?" Mikey asked. "It can't be easy finding a girlfriend like this."

"I already had one before this," the ninja shrugged. "She's okay with it."

"Lucky," Mikey mumbled.

"I just wanted you to know that the transition into viewing you as an ally was not a hard one," the ninja insisted. "Most of us who are still with the Foot see how evil Shredder actually was. We were honestly kept in the dark about a lot of things, and lied to about so much more. The ones who actually enjoyed doing bad things have left and joined the Purple Dragons."

"It's comforting to know that we don't have to look out for the Foot anymore," Mikey admitted. "It will take us a little while to fully trust you."

"I understand," the ninja nodded. "I'll let you get back to your ice cream."

The ninja moved to stand but then Mikey found himself saying, "Wait," causing the ninja to stop. "We can talk a bit more, if you want. You never told me your name."

"Steve," the ninja answered, sitting back down.

They sat talking about nothing in particular while Mikey had his fill of ice cream. Others eventually joined them and Mikey ended up telling them about different adventures he had been on. They listened to his stories with rapt attention and it felt good to be able to tell someone about things he had experienced.

He was just finishing up how he had won the Nexus tournament when his shell-cell rang. "Aww," Mikey moaned as he answered. "I think it's time to go."

"We'll continue the stories next time," Steve said.

"Yeah," Mikey nodded, surprised at how much he didn't want to leave. "We will definitely have to come back sometime. Bye guys."

The Foot ninjas said their goodbyes and Mikey headed out to find Leo. They met in the hall then left the compound together. "Did you enjoy your ice cream?" Leo asked as soon as they got outside.

"I did," Mikey answered, nodding his head. "Did you enjoy your bout with your girlfriend?"

Leo stopped, making Mikey have to stop as well. "Please don't tease. You're not the only one who desires a more meaningful relationship. I admire Karai but I'm not in love with her. Besides that… she has married Chaplin. She… She is expecting."

"Sorry," Mikey said in a small voice. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know," Leo sighed. "It's okay. Let's go home."

Their run home was done in silence.


	13. Chapter 13

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 13

Obsession

With Snow in his arms, Leatherhead entered Donny's lab to find his love using a hand drill to bolt a large piece of Plexiglas over the portal opening. Looking over at the desk, Leatherhead could see scattered pieces of equipment in various degrees of completion. A pair of inferred goggles was disassembled and extra pieces were lying next to them. They were going to be modified in some way but Leatherhead couldn't figure out how.

The room was a scene of organized chaos, a sign that Donatello was overworking himself. Leatherhead knew better than to touch anything. Donatello knew where everything was and to move one thing would throw him off. If there was one thing that could set Donatello off it would be moving something.

"You should take a break, my love," Leatherhead said, walking over and placing his hand on Donny's shoulder. "You look tired."

Don shook his head, "I'm almost done with this and then I need to figure out a way to get back through the portal once someone has gone through it."

"Why?" Leatherhead asked with a little more disappointment than he intended. "If you have covered the doorway what is the point in making a device for entering the portal. You said all you wanted to do was observe the other universes not go into them."

"I'm working on the device so that if someone still managed to fall through the portal then there is a way to get them back out." Donatello stood up and knocked on the covering. "This is strong but it's not infallible. I want to be prepared for anything. I would never forgive myself if someone was lost through it."

"Alright," Leatherhead sighed. "There is no danger as long as the device is off. You should take a break. You don't need to get everything done at once. Let's go spend some time together. April has brought over some new toys for Snow. They look like they are educational."

"You know that I won't be able to get any sleep until I am able to get everything figured out. I will be going through different probabilities and I will worry that something bad is going to happen." Donatello turned to look at Leatherhead. "I am so close to being finished with this. I just need a little more time."

"You are always close to being finished," Leatherhead retorted. His words had a little bit of a bite to them. "There is always a new problem that comes up or something that needs to be tweaked. It's never finished."

"You're right," Donatello snapped back. "My projects are never finished. I always have to repair something. It's been that way for a long time and it is not something that is going to change anytime soon. I'm sorry if my time is strained."

Taking a few deep breaths, Leatherhead kept himself from losing his temper. "Time is going to get away from you and before you know it Snow is going to be grown. You will have missed your opportunity to bond with her. Then you will find yourself wondering why she isn't interested in spending time with you. And you will be full of regret."

"Don't try to use her to guilt me," Donny growled. "My work keeps her safe."

"I'm not trying to guilt you," Leatherhead snapped back and then struggled to keep his calm. "I am only trying to warn you. Did you know that she is sitting up on her own now? That she is trying to crawl? That she is pulling herself up and trying to stand? She is growing so fast and you are missing it."

"I have a never ending list of things that need to be done and it gets added to on a daily basis. Do you think I want to spend every waking moment in my lab? I would love to play that video game system that I spent two days repairing. To enjoy time out of the lair that isn't a patrol run. I barely manage to get some precious moments with you." Donatello looked at Snow and Leatherhead swore that he saw resentment in his eyes. "I have many obligations that keep me from the things that I enjoy." It was like he didn't want anything to do with her. "I just want a little bit of time for myself." Leatherhead had no idea what had happened. When Snow was born, Donny acted like she was the center of his world but not anymore.

Leatherhead held Snow out to Don, "Hold your daughter."

"My hands are dirty," Donny said, backing away.

"Then wash them and come hold your daughter."

Donny scoffed and Leatherhead could see that he was trying to think of a reason not to hold her. "I… I need a shower. I've got stuff all over me. I don't want her breathing any of it in."

"Why don't you want to hold her?"

"I never said that I didn't want to hold her," Donny said, acting offended. "I simply said that I am covered in filth and that I don't want to get her sick."

Leatherhead was having a hard time understanding Donatello. Why did it seem like he was rejecting his daughter? "You need to spend time with her."

"Yes," Don snapped. "I know. You keep telling me. You don't need to keep badgering me about it. I'm sorry that I have been busy. This is the first time that I have managed to free up some time for myself. It just so happens that I hadn't even touched the portal for three days. I was too afraid to turn it on and I had too much work to do. I've been working on other projects, projects that benefit the whole family. I finally had time and someone to go with me to the dump where I was able to find a big enough piece of Plexiglas and the tech I would need to build the devices need to get back through the portal. This is the first time I have been able to work on it. I just want a little bit of time to myself before I have to get back to the things that I have to do."

"She is not an obligation, she is your daughter. You haven't spent time with Snow in weeks." Leatherhead pointed out, his heart breaking as the reality of the situation struck him. "I just wish that you would get as lost in your daughter as you do in your projects. She needs you."

"She was forced on me," Don snapped, his words choking in his throat as tears filled his eyes. Leatherhead could see that Donny regretted the words as he said them but that it was something that he needed to say. "I wasn't ready for this. I'm not ready to be a parent. I don't know how to raise a child. I would make a lousy parent. Everyone else does a better job with her."

Donny shook his head and sat down, hiding his face in his hands. "Her crying annoys me and she always does it when I'm trying to sleep. She needs so much attention. I don't like being alone with her and I don't know why. Part of me just wants her gone so we can all go back to the way we were."

Leatherhead stood listening to Donny confession, realizing that he was wrong. He hooked his finger under Don's chin and lifted it so that Don was looking up at him. "Why didn't I see it before?"

"What?" Donny asked, his voice weak and broken.

"I think that it is possible that you are depressed," Leatherhead ran his thumb over Donny's cheek. "Maybe we should go see one of the Foot psychologists."

Wide, tear filled eyes looked up at Leatherhead. "You think I'm depressed?"

Leatherhead nodded, "It is likely that, as a result of the birth, there are hormones in you that your body isn't used to. Postpartum depression is caused by an imbalance of hormones and can happen any time within the first year after giving birth. This happened to you suddenly and you were already under a lot of stress as it was. You've thrown yourself into your project as a way to cope with it."

"Oh, Kroki. Are you mad at me?" Donny asked, unable to maintain eye contact with Leatherhead.

"No," Leatherhead soothed. "I'm sorry that I didn't realize it sooner and let it get this bad. Are you willing to come with me to get the help you need?"

Donny nodded and Leatherhead helped him stand. "Good. I will get a few things for Snow and we will be on our way."

"Okay," Donny replied. He looked deflated. "I'll get a few things together."

Leatherhead nuzzled Donatello then turned and left the lab to seek out Leonardo. Even though his mind was made up and there was nothing that would stop him, Leatherhead was going to at least show Leonardo respect he deserved as the clan leader and ask permission before they left.

He headed down the stairs to the dojo in hopes of finding Leo there. Luck would have it Leo was helping Raph with his workout, acting as spotter while Raph bench pressed. Leo looked up as Leatherhead walked in but stayed ready to grab the bar at a moment's notice.

"We need to talk," Leatherhead stated, heading towards them.

"Alright," Leo nodded to indicate that he was listening.

"I need to take Donatello to the Foot headquarters," Leatherhead said, getting straight to the point. "I have come to believe that he… is depressed."

Raph stopped lifting and sat up to look at Leatherhead. "You think Donny's depressed?"

"He is showing multiple signs of postpartum depression," Leatherhead nodded. "I am worried for his mental wellbeing and his ability to bond with Snow. I want him to get a psych evaluation from the Foot clan's doctors. While we're there I will get Snow a checkup with Doctor Chaplin. We might spend a few nights there for observation."

"Why don't you and Donny go and leave Snow here," Raph said as he stood up. "I don't want her there. I'll take care of her. She sleeps better with me."

"She will be safe there," Leatherhead countered. "If they had any intention to harm her, they would have already. And she is in need of a checkup. She might also be needed in Donatello's therapy. I assure you, she will not leave my sight. Please, don't fight me on this."

"I have no problems with you going to the Foot headquarters with Don and Snow." Leo said stepping forward. "If you think there is something wrong with Donny then I want you to do everything you can to make sure he is alright." He placed his hand on Raph's shoulder, preventing the hothead from moving towards Leatherhead. "It will be alright, Raph."

"If anything happens to them…," Raph growled as he stared Leatherhead down.

"I understand," Leatherhead said with a slight nod then turned to Leonardo. "Thank you." Leonardo nodded his head in response and Leatherhead left. It was almost night time and he wanted to leave as soon as the sun was down.

….

Leonardo watched, waiting for Leatherhead to leave before turning to Raph. "It will be okay," Leo assured him. "We can trust Karai."

"Can we?" Raph huffed, shrugging Leo's hand off. "She's tricked us before. She's tried to kill us several times."

Leave it to Raph to throw out the same old arguments. Leo was getting sick of it. "I remember all that has happened… in the past… but all of that happened years ago, she is a different person now. She saved your life. If this is some kind of trick, it is an elaborate one and I don't see any point to it."

"If you wanna join the Foot, Leo, then go on ahead and do it but you will never get me to kneel to Karai."

"We go as a family or we don't go at all." Leo had no intention of splitting up the family. If anything he would maintain his friendship with Karai and the alliance with the Foot. "But just so you know. We would be her elite, her advisors. She would put all of her trust and the security of the Foot, in us."

"She still has her secrets," Raph said.

Before Raph was done talking, Leo said, "We all have out secrets. I'm sure there are a few things you are not telling me but I would still trust you with my life. When Karai saw how far Shredder was willing to go, just to destroy us, she realized that following him was wrong. She is working to better the Foot."

"There is no way I will ever join the Foot." Raph jabbed Leo in the chest with his finger. "Get that through your thick head. It ain't gonna happen. Ever."

"I get it Raph," Leo said, pushing Raph's hand away. "Don't worry. I won't bring it up again. We'll stay here, below ground, alone, secluded from the rest of the world. It's our fate, right?"

Leo turned to leave and Raph called out after him. "I would rather be secluded from the rest of the world than throw my hat in with the devil."


	14. Chapter 14

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 14

Dying

Mikey entered the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. Raph was at the sink, rinsing and sorting beans. "Don't touch that ham," he warned. "I'm putting the beans to soak tonight and I will need the ham when I cook them tomorrow."

"Can I have a little?" Mikey asked.

"No," came Raph's immediate answer. "You don't know how to show restraint. I let you start picking on that thing and the next thing we know, all that's left is the bone." He turned to glare at Mikey. "Don't touch it."

"Fine," Mikey sighed, closing the refrigerator. "I'll make myself some ramen." He filled a pot with some water and set it on the range. "So, I heard you got to see some of the other dimensions."

"I did," Raph nodded. "It was a little uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Mikey chuckled. "Leatherhead told me about the one where you and Don were doing it." Raph only grunted in response and shook his head. Mikey added the noodles and the flavor packets to the boiling water. "I kinda wanna see a few for myself."

"You'll have to wait for Donny to get back home." Raph replied and Mikey could hear the bitterness in his voice. It was no secret that Raph hated the fact that Leatherhead had taken Don to the Foot Clan for treatment, and hated it even more that Leatherhead took Snow with them. They had been gone for almost two weeks and Raph's anger over it grew every day.

Mikey didn't want to let Raph linger on the thought for long. So he chose to shock him out of it. "Do I," Mikey grinned, causing Raph to look at him. He didn't know where he was going with it but at least Raph didn't look angry.

Raph's eye narrowed. "Yeah you do. Only Donny knows how to work that thing."

"We'll see. But first I wanna eat my lunch." Mikey took the pot off the burner and headed into the dining cart to eat his lunch. He needed the time to think it all through. It wasn't long before Raph followed him and sat down at the table across from Mikey.

"What did you mean by, 'we'll see'?" Raph asked, looking Mikey in the eye. Raph took the bait now all Mikey had to do was keep him entertained.

"I'm just gonna turn it on," Mikey answered with a shrug. "And then start pushing a few buttons to see what happens." He honestly hadn't considered doing it before that moment but now that he had thought about it, he really wanted to. It left him wondering why he hadn't thought of it before.

Raph let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "What, you wanna get lost in another dimension?"

Mikey snorted, "There is a big piece of plastic covering the portal. There is no way I'm gonna get sucked in."

"Famous last words," Raph quipped.

"Do you wanna come with me?" Mikey asked, flashing his best smile.

Raph shrugged, "Yeah sure. But only so I can watch you and tell Don what you did so he can figure out a way to save you when you get stuck in another world."

Mikey slurped up the rest of his noodles then said through a full mouth, "That was a great show."

Raph rubbed the bridge of his beak, "You're thinking of A Different World."

Mikey stood up with the pot in his hands, "You sure there wasn't a show called Another World?"

"Not that we watched," Raph said as he stood up. "You're thinking about the show that took place in a college and was, like, a spinoff of The Cosby Show, right?"

"Yeah," Mikey nodded.

"That's A Different World."

"Oh," Mikey headed over to the door that led back into the kitchen. "I liked that show." He entered the kitchen, cleaned the pot and then set it out to dry. He started to head to his room but then remembered that he wanted to mess with Don's portal and turned around.

Raph was waiting for him just outside the dining cart, "You almost forgot didn't you."

"You distracted me with all that talk about TV shows," Mikey replied with his chin up as he passed by Raph on his way to the stairs. "You're plan didn't work."

"I didn't have a plan," Raph scoffed. "You were the one who started talking about TV shows."

"Whatever," Mikey shrugged, taking the stairs two at a time. "We've got something better than TV waiting for us in Donny's lab."

"Only if you can figure out how to make it work," Raph called up after him as he followed behind.

Once they were in Don's lab, Mikey headed straight for the portal device. "All I gotta do is turn it on. Right?" He sat down and looked up at Raph, who only shrugged in response. Mikey pressed a few buttons before he found the one that had the machine coming to life. A smile spread across Mikey's face as he looked over at the portal.

Raph walked over to stand in front of the portal with his arms crossed. They were watching one of Donny's counterparts. Not a lot was happening. It looked like Donny was fixing a computer. It would have been a boring sight if it wasn't for the way that Donatello looked. He looked nothing like the Donatello from their world. He was tall and slender but still strong with gear strapped to his back and glasses.

Raph and Mikey stood there watching him, fascinated by the way he looked and hoped that one of the others would soon make an appearance. It wasn't long before that world's Raph walked in. Mikey's eyes went wide. "Dude, you are huge in that world."

"I don't believe what I'm seeing," Raph mumbled. He gestured to his counterpart, "What's with the headband? And the toothpick? And the loincloth?"

"I think he looks cool," Mikey said in awe.

"You would," Raph grunted then looked at Mikey. "See if you can figure out how to change the channel."

With a nod, Mikey headed back over to the control panel and started pressing buttons. "Let's see what this does." The image in the portal shifted and they saw another Donatello. "It looks like the device is keyed in to find all the Donatellos in the multiverse."

"That's fine," Raph shrugged and turned back to the portal.

This Donatello looked like their Donny and the world didn't look much different. They watched for a few moments before Mikey got bored with it and pressed the button to switch to a new world. Nothing was really happening from world to world. Most of the Donatellos were working in their labs, a few were having sex, and one was in the middle of a fight. They stayed on that one for a while to see the action but once it was finished, they moved on.

"This isn't as fun as I thought it would be," Mikey sighed as he pressed the button again. He was about to give up and turn the device off but something about the world they were looking in on didn't seem right. He walked up to the portal and looked through. Donatello was lying on the floor with robot versions of his brothers moving around the lair.

A wave of dread washed over Mikey and he looked up at Raph. "Why are his brothers robots?"

"He looks like he has given up on life," Raph answered. "I wonder what happened. He's just lying there."

Mikey looked at the scene through the portal. The Mikey robot placed a plate of food down next to Donatello who didn't even acknowledge it. Mikey felt his heart sink, "He's dying." Stepping back from the portal, Mikey started to look around the room. "We gotta get him out of there."

Raph turned from the portal and looked at Mikey, "What?"

"We gotta get him out of there," Mikey repeated. "We can't let him die."

"Mikey, we don't know how this thing works," Raph pointed out and grabbed Mikey by the shoulder. "Mikey, stop. You can't save him."

Mikey pulled from Raph's grip, "No! I'm going to try."

"What if you get stuck in there?" Raph asked as Mikey found the power drill. "This is crazy!"

"At least he won't be alone anymore," Mikey answered. "If I can't get back through, just turn off the portal and tell Don what I did when he gets back. I'm sure he will be able to save me." Mikey worked as quickly as he could to remove the bolts holding the Plexiglas in place. Once he had it removed, he stood in front of the portal and looked back a Raph. "Maybe if you stick your hand through the portal, I'll be able to grab it and you can pull me back through."

"It can't be that simple. What if I can't," Raph asked, trying to hold back his tears. He grabbed hold of Mikey. "We can't lose you, Mikey."

"I have faith that Donny will be able to get me back," Mikey smiled. He pointed to the Donatello on the other side of the portal. "He needs someone now." With that, Mikey pulled his arm out of Raph's grip and stepped through the portal.

The first thing that hit him was the smell. Rotten food sat in the kitchen and Donatello looked like he hadn't bathed in days. Mikey walked up to Donatello and knelt down next to him. He placed his hand on Don's shoulder, causing him to jump. "I'm gonna get you out of here," Mikey soothed.

Donatello's glazed over eyes moved to look up at Mikey and he said in a thick voice, "Am I dead?"

"No," Mikey whispered. He moved to pick Donatello up and that was when he discovered the items clutched in his hands. Mikey made sure to collect the picture and Tessen as well when he lifted Donatello. He saw a bo staff leaning against the wall and walked over to collect that as well. It was awkward but Mikey managed to carry it all.

Looking back in the direction of where he had come through the portal, Mikey shouted. "I'm ready."

Raph's hand appeared out of nowhere and Mikey rushed towards it. As soon as Mikey was close enough, Raph grabbed him and started to pull. Mikey's heart pounded in his chest as he moved forward. A wave of relief washed over him as he felt the tingle of the portal. In a blink he was through.

Raph looked down at the other world's Donatello. "He looks in bad shape."

"I'm taking him to Master Splinter," Mikey said and headed out of the lab. "You call April," he called back to Raph. "She's the closest thing we have to a doctor right now."

Mikey passed Leo on his way to the dojo and the leader of their clan stopped mid step as he processed what he had seen. "Was that Donny?" he asked as he turned to follow Mikey.

"He's a Donny from another world," Mikey answered without stopping. "He was alone and dying."

"How did you get him through the portal?"

"I'll explain later," Mikey shot back as he entered the dojo. "Master Splinter!" he called out and placed Donatello on a mat.

Donatello looked around the room in weak confusion. "Where am I?"

"I brought you through a portal into my world," Mikey explained.

"Oh," Donatello replied, looking at Mikey. "That would explain why you look different."

"You're gonna be okay now," Mikey said with a rush of emotion. "You're not alone anymore."

Donatello started to cry. Raspy sobs shook his body and he held the items closer to his chest. Mikey hoped that was a good sign. That meant that he hadn't fully shut down. "I don't deserve to be alive," Donatello sobbed, and curled into a ball.

"Everything is going to be okay," Mikey soothed as Splinter came out of his room.

"What is going on," Splinter demanded.

Raph rushed into the dojo, "I called April. She's on her way. She said that if it looks bad enough she is going to drive him to Foot headquarters for treatment. She said she would call Karai. I didn't even know she had Karai's number. Are they friends now?"

Splinter rushed over and knelt down next to Mikey. "Who is this?"

"Donatello from another dimension," Mikey answered. "He was alone and dying on the floor. I couldn't just leave him there. I rushed through the portal and Raph was able to get us out by sticking his hand through."

"You are lucky that worked," Splinter chided him. "You could have been lost to us."

"But at least he wouldn't have been alone anymore," Mikey said, pointing to Donatello. "We gotta help him."

Splinter sighed and rested his hand on Donatello's head. "He has suffered great loss. I can sense his anguish." He caressed Donatello's cheek. "I know you are hurting but even though you have lost a great deal, all is not lost. You can still lead a full life. We are here to help you heal, if you let us. Whatever happens, you are not going to be alone."

While Splinter spoke to Donatello, Mikey looked him over. He was different than they were. His hands were bigger than Mikey's and he had bridges across his sides, connecting his plastron to his carapace. His feet were wide with three toes and his head was a little rounder. There was no chance that this Donatello would be mistaken for their Donatello.

They all sat in silence while Donatello continued to cry. Splinter stayed by his side offering a comforting touch. By the time April and Casey arrived, Donatello had settled down and was once again staring off at nothing.

April walked around Donatello and sat on the opposite side as Splinter. After looking Donatello over, she started digging though her bag. "I don't even want to know how you managed to find another Donatello. You would think that after seeing you guys turn into dragons and travel through time that there would be nothing left to surprise me. I was mistaken."

"Do you think he is going to be okay?" Leo asked.

April glanced up at him and pulled some supplies from her bag. "Physically, all he needs is some fluids and food. Mentally, I'm not so sure. I'm inserting an IV to help his body heal. The rest is up to him."

Mikey reached down and grabbed hold of Donatello's hand. "Please, don't give up."


	15. Chapter 15

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 15

Silence

Donatello from the other dimension sat in the dojo, staring off at nothing. Raph watched him and wondered what their Donatello was going to say when he saw his counterpart and found out what Mikey had done. It was not going to be good for his fragile psyche.

It was a difficult situation that they were in. Was it fair to keep the new Donatello in their world? Could they really bring themselves to send him back, knowing that it was a death sentence?

Raph wondered what had happened to Donatello's brothers but knew better than to ask. He wanted to do something to help him through his grief not make him relive the trauma.

Raph walked over and sat down next to Donatello. The other turtle glanced over at him. Raph could tell by the way Donatello looked at him that he was curious about all of Raph's scars.

"I did something stupid," Raph said, tracing his finger along one of his scars. "Leo and I got in a fight and I went out alone to vent my anger. I took on more than I could handle. I almost died because of it. Now, I ain't so pretty anymore."

Donatello looked Raph over and then went back to staring at the floor.

Raph wanted to pull him into a hug but had to remind himself that this Donatello wasn't his brother. They didn't know each other. He couldn't be so familiar with him. "I don't know what happened but I know one thing, if your brother is anything like me he would want you to live your life. He wouldn't want you to... give up."

Tears streaked down Donatello's cheeks as he continued to look at the floor.

"We don't want to replace your brothers," Raph said and placed his hand on Donatello's shoulder. "We could never do that. But you're not alone anymore. You can train with us, live with us, and maybe learn to enjoy life again. If you were my brother, I know that is what I would want for you."

Mikey walked into the dojo carrying a plate of food. "I brought your dinner," he declared and set the plate in front of Donatello. "It was my turn to cook dinner so rest assured that it is good." Raph smiled at that. Mikey was a decent enough cook. He stuck to casseroles since they were easy to assemble and just throw in the oven. Tonight it was a casserole of chicken, rice, and broccoli.

Donatello looked down at the plate, picked up the fork and started pushing the food around. Mikey's grin turned into a look of concern. "Please eat."

Donatello collected a little up on his fork and took a bite. The smile returned to Mikey's face. After Donatello managed to take a few more bites Raph got up. "I'm going to get a plate before it's all gone." He left Mikey to watch over Donatello and headed to the dinning car.

After Dinner it was Raph's turn to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. It was always easy to clean up after Mikey due to the fact that he didn't use a lot of dishes in his prep work and cooking. By the time he was done, Donatello was asleep in the dojo. Splinter was meditating next to him, using his orb which meant that he was 'visiting' with his Master Yoshi.

With Donatello asleep, Raph decided to go to his room and call it a night. He did a few pushups and then read a book before crawling into his hammock. After a few hours of sleep, Raph was awoken by a sound coming from the dojo. He got up to investigate, moving slow due to some stiffness in his joints.

By the time he stepped into the dojo, his body was moving well enough that the stiffness wasn't noticeable. He saw Donatello twitching on the floor in a fitful nightmare. It was expected. He was probably reliving his brother's deaths. Splinter was sitting near him in an attempt to offer comfort.

"Stop," Donatello pleaded in his sleep. "Please, stop."

Raph walked over and knelt down next to Donatello, placing his hand on his shoulder. Donatello's eyes snapped open. When he saw Raph he screamed and pulled back. Raph inwardly cursed himself for being so stupid. He would be a frightening sight to see after a nightmare. "It's alright," he soothed.

Donatello's eyes darted around the room for a moment before settling on Raph again. He took a few steading breaths and then nodded his head, curling back up in a ball.

"Come on," Raph said, nudging Donatello. "You're gonna sleep in with me. You shouldn't be sleeping by yourself."

Donatello glanced up at Raph then shifted his gaze back to the floor as he thought. After a moment he nodded and let Raph help him stand. Raph looked at Splinter, who smiled softly and nodded his head, and then Raph led Donatello out of the dojo.

Donatello's eyes went wide when he saw the immaculate stairwell. "Someone will give you a tour of the lair in the morning," Raph said as they crossed the platform. "We live in an old, forgotten subway station. It's actually one of the pretest places we have lived."

He took Donatello into his room and helped him up into the hammock. It was big enough for the two of them but they had to curl around each other. As they lay there Donatello traced some of the scars along Raph's plastron and down his arms. After a while Donatello drifted off to sleep again.

….

In the morning, Mikey burst into Raph's room. "Raph, he's gone! Oh." Mikey's eyes fell on Donatello, who was holding Raph in a death grip. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I went into the dojo to get you and you weren't there so I panicked. I thought you ran away or something."

"He was having nightmares so I brought him in here with me," Raph explained.

"Good," Mikey nodded. "This is good." He walked over and helped Donatello out of the hammock. "Breakfast is ready. Leo's cooking so it's gonna be good. He likes to go all out." Mikey looked down at Raph. "You coming?"

"You go ahead," Raph waved them away. "I'm a little stiff in the morning. I'll join you in a bit."

"Okay," Mikey replied and led Donatello out of the room. "We each take turns cooking," Mikey explained. "We rotate out with breakfast, dinner, and dishes and we are on our own for lunch. You also have to clean up your own mess from lunch. You'll be added to the rotation eventually."

Mikey opened the door to the dining car, "Our Don fixed up this old subway train as a kitchen and dining room. Pretty cool, huh?" Donatello nodded as Mikey urged him into the dining cart. "Sit down. Leo will be bringing breakfast out in a little bit."

Donatello sat at the long table and just started off at nothing. Mikey sat across from him and drummed his fingers on the table before saying, "I'll give you a tour of the lair after breakfast." Donatello looked up at Mikey and simply nodded his response before returning his gaze to the table.

They were eventually joined by Leo, Splinter, and Raph. Mikey watched as Donatello picked at his food with an occasional bite. At least he was eating some of it.

"If you like," Splinter offered, "you can join us for training today. I would like to assess your skills."

Again Donatello nodded but said nothing.

"We start training an hour after breakfast," Splinter told him. "That will give you plenty of time to digest and be shown the lair."

After breakfast Mikey pulled Donatello into the kitchen with him to help with the dishes. Leo had offered to give Donatello the tour of the lair but Mikey insisted that it be him. Together they finished cleaning the kitchen in no time.

"So," Mikey said as they stepped out of the kitchen. "This is a really old subway station that lost funding and was forgotten about. Lucky us, because this baby was made back when they went for a standard of artistic beauty."

He pointed down the tunnel. "Both ends of the tunnels are sealed but they have secret doors that lead out to the sewers. That's how we get in and out. There are a few unused storage closets down there." They stood on the platform and Mikey pointed to each side. "Those are the bedrooms and that is the dojo. Master Splinter's room is in there."

Mikey grabbed hold of Donatello's hand and led him up the first flight of stairs. "On the first landing is Don's lab. The portal device that I used to bring you here is in there. Don also sleeps in there with Leatherhead." Donatello looked at Mikey with a wide eyed look of surprise. Mikey chuckled, "Yeah, Don has a thing for large crocs. They've been together for a while now. Don's not here now because he had some sort of mental break down. One of our enemies captured him and put this weird uterus thing in him and he had a baby…. You'll get the full story later. On with the tour."

Mikey tugged Donatello up the second flight of stairs. "Over there is the entertainment room. Master Splinter is in there now, watching his stories. The real reason we get a full hour break after breakfast. On the other side are the bathrooms. They used to be men's and women's bathrooms but we're all boys here. So what used to be the women's restroom now has a large shower and the former men's restroom has a hot tub. Both still have toilets."

He pointed up the last flight of stairs. "Up there would have led to the street if it wasn't sealed off. Don said that he erased all records of this place and put in something about the area that marks it as a bad spot for development. So where not going to be found any time soon."

With the tour over Mikey pulled Donatello into his room and showed him his collection of comics. He actually managed to get a small smile out of Donatello before he burst into tears. Mikey wrapped his arms around the taller turtle. "I'm sorry. I didn't think. I probably did or said something that reminded you of your brother. Didn't I?"

….

Mikey was right. His actions reminded Donnie so much of his brother that it had brought him to tears. He didn't know if he was going to be able to handle it. It was hard. He could see his brothers in each of them. They would serve as a constant reminder of what he had lost. How was he going to be able to recover?

For a short time he had thought that they had brought him there because they had lost their Donatello but he was corrected when Mikey told him where their Donatello was. He wasn't looking forward to the awkward day where he met his counterpart. What if his counterpart hated the fact that he was there?

He let himself cry his sorrow out on Mikey's shoulder. Despite the few similarities there were several differences and Donnie tried to focus on those. This Mikey's skin was darker, he lacked freckles, and his hands were smaller. Donnie wondered how much easier things would be if his hands were that small. He would have still had the limitation of just three fingers but at least they were more like human hands than what he had.

After Donnie had managed to calm himself down, Mikey suggested that they head to the dojo. Silently Donnie agreed and followed Mikey across the platform. Raph was already in the dojo, lifting weights and Leo was acting as his spotter.

Donnie looked around and found his bo leaning against the wall. As he walked over to get it he noticed his counterpart's bo. Part of him wanted to hold it, see how it felt compared to his but decided against it. Instead he walked over to the center of the dojo and waited for their Master Splinter.

As he waited he looked around the room, studding it to see if he could get to know them better. There were a few pictures lining the walls and some artifacts on shelves. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Shredder's helmet. Did that mean that they had defeated him?

When Splinter entered the dojo, the others took their position on the floor and Donnie joined them. Splinter led them through simple warm up katas first. It had been a while since Donnie had actually trained but he was pleased with himself and how quickly his body remembered. After their warm up, Splinter moved to more difficult katas and Donnie managed to keep up with the others.

Splinter then had them break off individually to go over specific katas one by one. When it was Donnie's turn Splinter asked him, "What is the most complex kata that you know?"

Without thinking, Donatello's body started to move through the kata. The one Bradford had taught to Mikey that told them that Oroku Saki was in New York. The one that Oroku Saki had used in his fight against Splinter that led to their capture. He could never forget it.

"That is an aggressive attack," Splinter said once Donnie had finished.

Fighting back his tears, Donnie could only nod his head.

"That will be all for today," Splinter said, dismissing his sons. "Donatello, come with me. There is something that I want to show you."

Again Donnie nodded his head and followed after Splinter. He was led to a spot that was obviously used for meditation and was directed to sit down. Splinter placed an orb in front of Donnie. "I want you to meditate. Focus on the orb and think of your family."

Donnie sighed and did as he was told. He never really liked meditation. It was a difficult task to settle his mind. He had found it hard to meditate before he had lost his family. After a few deep breaths he was able to push away the sorrow and guilt long enough to enter in to a meditative state. He felt an energy reach out to him and he almost pulled away from it. Whatever it was, it was inviting so he welcomed it instead.

Opening his third eye, he found himself in what he could only explain as a dense fog. But he didn't feel alone. Someone was approaching. "Hello?" he called out.

"I am here," a familiar voice answered.

His heart leaped into his throat, "Father?"

"Yes," Splinter… no… Yoshi stepped out of the fog. "I am here."

"Is it really you," Donnie choked out, wrapping his arms around his father in a tight hug. "How is this even possible? You're human again?"

Yoshi smiled down at Donnie and caressed his head, "The orb acts as a portal into the spiritual plane. A spirit can manifest itself however it wants to."

"Hey! Don't we get a hug?"

Donnie pulled away from his father and turned around to see his brothers. Mikey's arms were opened wide. With tears in his eyes, Donnie rushed over to embrace them. "You're here too?" He cried as he hugged each of them and he was overrun with guilt. "I'm sorry I have failed you."

"You haven't failed us, Donnie," Raph soothed. "We're not angry or disappointed in you. We didn't want you to go back to avenge us. Shredder would have killed you."

"But at least I would have died trying," Donnie sobbed. "I just gave up. I'm a coward."

"No. We do not want you to be consumed by the darkness that revenge brings. It would taint your soul," Yoshi said, causing Donnie to turn around and face him. "Do not feel bad for us. You will see us again."

"I will come in here a visit you as often as I can," Donnie said.

Leo chuckled. "Visiting us is fine and you can do it whenever you want, just don't do it too often. Go out there and live your life."

"Besides, we're not gonna be here much longer anyway," Mikey added and Raph swatted him.

"We can't tell him too much."

Donnie felt his heart sink, "Where are you going?"

"Yeah," Raph smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Apparently when you lead a good life and help others, you get to have a say in what happens next."

"We have all chosen to be reborn," Leo said. "Father is the first one who will be going. He only has a few more days."

"But," Donnie protested. "If you're reborn then I'll never see you again."

"Donnie," April said as she and Casey joined them. "We are all going to be born in the world you are in now. We were allowed to choose where we go. We will all see you again."

Donnie looked at April and slowly walked over to her. "I have missed you so much," he whispered. "Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you. I played your last voice message over and over again."

She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight, "You'll see me again. I promise."

"I'll wait for you," Donnie choked out. "I will never love anyone else."

April pulled back enough to look Donnie in the eyes and she cupped his face in her hands. "I love you too, Donnie. It was so hard to choose between you and Casey. I know that when I chose him that it hurt you. It hurt me too. But I want you to let me go and try to find love again."

Donnie blinked away his tears and kissed April's wrist. "There are not many options out there for me. I know I will be considerably older but that's okay. I'll keep my distance until you're eighteen. I don't want anyone but you."

April shook her head, "Please, Donnie. Don't linger on me. It will only hurt you. Promise me that if the opportunity presents itself, you will take it."

Donnie nodded, "But only if she is as wonderful as you." Looking April in the eyes, Donnie asked, "Can I have one last kiss?"

"Yes," April smiled, pulling Donnie down to press her lips to his. He knew that it wasn't really happening but it still made his heart beat faster.

"How will I find you guys?" Donnie asked, pulling away from April and looking at his family. He wiped the tears from his eyes, amazed that he could cry so much in the spirit world. "I'll be living in the sewers, hidden from most of the world. How will I know who you are?"

"You'll know once you see us," Leo answered.

"Can't you tell me where to find you, who you'll be?" Donnie asked, turning back to Yoshi.

Yoshi shook his head, "No. To tell you would be revealing too much about the future."

Donnie turned to look at his brothers, "Will the three of you still be brothers?"

Raph shook his head, "No. But we will be close."

"We decided to pick different parents," Mikey chimed in. "We didn't want to burden one with all the problems we are going to have."

"Problems?" Donnie asked as Mikey received a swat to the back of the head by Raph. "What problems?"

Raph sighed and rubbed his eyes. For a moment Donnie swore that Raph's eyes were gone and that there was blood coming out of his ear slits. "Our deaths were tragic," Raph explained. "Our souls are scarred and that is going to carry over into our new lives. It's taking a lot of our strength to keep them hidden from you now. This is why Casey hasn't said anything it's taking all of his concentration to look like that but he wanted to see you."

Memories of Casey's death flashed through Donnie's mind. He could only imagine what problems he was going to carry with him into the next life.

"We've all chosen understanding parents," Leo interjected, drawing Donnie from his thoughts. "I know I have chosen a great guy to be my dad. One who will name me 'Ryan'. They might feel the burden of or problems at first but they will be able to work with them and help us through them."

Donnie lifted an eye ridge, "Ryan?"

Leo blushed and twirled his fingers, "Yeah, you know, after Captain Ryan."

"Dork," Raph said with a chuckle and Leo only blushed more.

"Are you going to be in some kind of clinic?" Donnie asked, trying to get as much information out of them as he could. "Is that how you are going to be close?"

"We have already said too much," Yoshi interrupted. Grabbing Donnie's hand he pulled him close. "There is someone I want you to meet before you have to go."

As Yoshi spoke a woman joined them. Donnie knew who she was the moment he saw her. "That picture father had of you didn't do you any justice. You are more beautiful in person."

"It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you," Shen smiled. "Yoshi has told me so much about you and your brothers speak highly of you as well."

Donnie looked around, "What about the others? Leatherhead, Slash and Karai?"

"Leatherhead and Slash are here as well," Yoshi answered. "They are also waiting to be reborn but Miwa is still alive."

"She is?" Donnie choked on the words. What horrors could she be facing? "Where? Can you at least tell me that?"

"Saki has her in his dungeon," Shen answered.

"I'll find a way to save her," Donnie promised. "I'll get her away from there and I will see if I can bring her here so she can see you before you have to go."

"Be careful, my son," Yoshi warned. "Do not try to save her alone. Have the others help you. I'm sure that they will be more than willing."

Donnie nodded his head, "I will."

"Hey, Donnie?" Mikey said, drawing Don's attention. When Donnie turned to look at him, Mikey looked uncertain and asked, "Are they nice? Our counterparts."

Donnie shrugged, "I haven't really had the chance to get to know them but they seem nice. They are all trying to make me feel welcome. They are a lot like you guys. Leonardo is the leader and is focused on his training. Raphael is huge, strong, and protective. Michelangelo is funny and he has a comic book collection. But they could never replace you guys."

"They don't have to," Yoshi said. "You can keep a special place in your heart for us but also allow them in."

Donnie nodded, "I know. I'll try. I'm just… afraid. They have their own enemies. I don't want to get attached to them only to lose them too."

"I know how you feel," Yoshi said, "When I lost my family I didn't think that I would ever be able to love again. But then fate gave me you and your brothers. Do not let fear keep you from finding joy." He pulled Donnie in to one final hug. "Now you must go."

Donnie didn't trust his voice so he responded with a tight nod.

"I'm getting tired," Mikey whimpered.

Donnie turned to look at him but Raph and Leo where shielding him. "Go," Raph said. "You don't need to see him like this."

"Go," Yoshi repeated, placing his hand on Don's shoulder.

Donnie snapped out of his trance, opening his eyes to see the dimly lit dojo. Splinter was sitting nearby, his eyes studding Donnie waiting for him to react. Donnie took a steading breath then bowed to Splinter, "Thank you."

"Did it help you find some closure?" Splinter stood and picked up the orb to place it back on its shelf.

"It did," Donnie nodded.

"You are welcome to use it whenever you like… so long as it is not too often," Splinter said with a touch of humor.

Donnie smiled, "My family said the same thing." He stood and watched Splinter cross the room. Clearing his throat, Donnie asked, "Do you think that you guys could help me with something?"

"What is it?" Splinter asked in return.

"I need help saving my sister."


	16. Chapter 16

TMMT 100 Theme

Chapter 16

Break Away

Donnie stood in front of the portal with the others standing behind him. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked through the portal into his home. The robot versions of his brothers wandered through the lair aimlessly.

"There are a few things I want to get," Donnie mumbled. He looked over his shoulder at Mikey. "You have a good freezer, right?"

"Uh?" Mikey scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Why?"

"My brother's pet needs to be kept cold," Donnie answered. The plan was to go into the lair first to get whatever Donnie wanted to keep before they tried to save Karai. There was a possibility that Shredder knew where the lair was.

Leo walked up to Donnie and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I will go with you and help you carry whatever you want to bring. Raph and Mikey will stay here to help us get back out."

Donnie nodded, took a deep breath and the stepped through the portal. The smell was different and the familiarity of it brought tears to his eyes. He knew it was the last time he was going to be there. He looked at Leo, "Take whatever you want. I'm going to my lab to get a few things."

"Okay," Leo nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Donnie shook his head, "No. It's okay." He turned and headed into his lab. He felt numb as he walked and it was hard for him to keep his mind focused on the task. All he wanted to do was cry. Fishing though his supplies, Donnie found the one tube of retro-mutagen he had been saving.

"I'm sorry I didn't give this to you sooner," Donnie said as he walked up to Timothy. "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I made this for my father and I hid it from him. I wanted him to have it but at the same time… I didn't. Maybe if I had given it to him, things would have been different." Looking down at the tube, Donnie chuckled. "Who am I kidding? If I had tried to give this to Master Splinter, he would have told me to give it to you."

Donatello poured the retro-mutagen into the tank. "Since you're frozen, it will take a little while for it to work but you will defrost and be human again. Just find your way home and try to stay out of trouble."

Moving around the lab, Donnie collected everything he thought he would need and things he didn't want to fall into the wrong hands, including a few canisters of mutagen. He then took some time to write out a two notes. One was for Timothy, explaining what had happened. The other he was going to attach to the tree, just in case someone, someday found the lair. He wanted their story to be known.

Once he was done, Donnie placed the note for Timothy where he would be able to find it, on top of a pile of clothes and then slung his bag over his shoulder and left the lab. When he entered the common room, Donnie saw Leo wandering through the room with a bag over his shoulder. Leo ran his hand across the pinball machine. "If Mikey was here, he would be trying to come up with a way to take this with us."

Despite the tears in his eyes, Donnie chuckled softly, "My brother is… was… the same way. He would try to take all of the junk in his room, some pizza, and all the games. Did you find anything?"

Leo nodded and patted his bag, "A few useful things. I stayed out of the bedrooms though. It just seemed like a violation of their privacy."

"You're very kind," Donnie softly smiled. "But they are gone. Go through every room, take anything that you find useful."

Leo nodded and Donnie continued through the lair to collect what he could and turned off the robots. Sliding open the door to the dojo, Donnie steadied himself before going inside. When his eyes fell on the unfinished robot of his father, he felt his heart sink. He told himself that he would attack Shredder once he had completed all of the robots. He could never bring himself to finish the one of his father. So he set it to look like he was meditating.

He hurried around the room, collecting all of the weapons. He just wanted to get it over with. He heard Leonardo enter the dojo and gasp, "Wow."

"The tree is impressive, isn't it," Donnie said without turning around. "Do you think you can use these rugs?"

"We could probably use them," Leo nodded. "I'm sure my father would like a few of the decorations as well. We are still trying to make the lair a little more like a home."

Donnie looked up at the entrance to Splinter's room and froze. "Do you think you can go into that room there and look around for anything that can be salvaged? I don't think I can bring myself to go in there."

"Sure," Leo said as he walked past Donnie. "Start rolling up the rugs and I'll be right back."

Leonardo entered Splinter's room and Donnie got to work with the rugs. When Leo returned he handed Donnie a few framed pictures of his family. "There really wasn't much in there worth salvaging. The tatami had seen better days. Your father kept his room pretty sparse. I thought you might want these though."

"Thank you," Donnie mumbled, accepting the pictures.

After the rugs were rolled up and the weapons were collected, Leo and Donnie started carrying things out of the room and placed them in a pile near the portal. As Leo carried the last of the items out of the room, Donnie left the note and one of the photos by the tree.

Donnie exited the dojo to see Leo passing the items through the portal and went over to help. Once everything was passed though, Donnie turned back towards his lab. "There is one thing I want to check on and one more thing I need to get before we leave."

"Okay," Leo nodded. "I'll wait."

Donnie nodded in return and headed back to his lab. He looked in to check on Timmy's progress and was pleased to see that he was human again, sleeping off the shock of the whole ordeal. "Take care of yourself," Donnie whispered and then closed the door. He passed back through the common room and into the kitchen.

"Are you ready for one of the strangest things you will ever see?" Donnie smiled past the pain as he opened the freezer. "My brother's pet." Ice Cream Kitty mewed when she saw Donnie and didn't put up a fight as he pulled her out. Holding her out for Leo to see, Donnie said, "This is Ice Cream Kitty. My brother had a way with naming things. She more or less feeds herself since she is made of ice cream and regenerates what is lost. I give her cream ever once and a while, just for good measure. And she is perfectly content living in the freezer so she won't be any trouble."

Mikey's head poked through the portal and he reached out his hands, "That is literally the coolest thing I have ever seen. Oh, can I have her? Please?"

"I thought you might like her," Donnie smiled, passing Ice Cream Kitty though the portal. "Just make sure Klunk doesn't eat her."

"They are gonna be the best of friends," Mikey declared and disappeared back through the portal.

"Ready?" Leo asked, holding out his hand.

Donnie accepted Leo's hand and nodded. "I am."

Raph's hand appeared through the portal and he pulled them back through. Donnie looked around and noticed that everything had been taken out of the lab and was probably piled just outside the door. They will need to sort through it all later once everything was done.

Donnie turned to look back through the portal for one last look at his home. After saying his silent goodbyes, he sat at the desk and got to work finding Karai. It was easy for him to figure out the mechanics Donatello had put in place and it wasn't long before Karai appeared on the other side of the portal.

It seemed that Shredder did not trust her and was still keeping her in a cell. She looked dejected. Her hair had grown over the year of her captivity, the bright blond had faided, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She was also without her armor and in a simple shirt and pants that looked like a prison uniform.

"You guys should probably leave the room, for now," Donnie suggested. "I don't know her mental state."

"Okay," Leo nodded and led the others out.

Raph stopped and turned from the door way. "We'll be right outside. Yell if you end up getting stuck in there or if you need anything."

"Yeah," Donnie nodded. "I will."

He positioned the portal as close to Karai as he could get it and then moved away from the controls. After taking a deep steading breath Donnie walked up to the portal, got down on his knees, and pushed his head through.

"Karai?" Donnie said in a soft voice. It didn't keep her from jumping in fear.

"Are you a ghost?" He eyes were wide with fear but at least she didn't look as if she had lost her mind. She was a strong girl. She was going to get through this trauma. But fist, Donnie had to set her free.

"No," Donnie whispered. "I'm using a portal." He reached out to her. "Come on. I'm getting you out of here."

She hesitated for a moment but took his hand and he pulled her through. He got to his feet as she came through the portal and as soon as she was through he pulled her into a warm hug. She fell into his arms and started to cry. "I knew he was lying. I knew you were alive."

Tears fell from Donnie's eyes as he struggled to find his voice. "I'm the only one who's left," he managed to choke out, sending Karai into a fit of tears. "I'm sorry I didn't get you out of there sooner. I thought you were dead. Shredder told us that he had killed you."

"There were some days that I wish he had," Karai sobbed. "Thank you for getting me out of there."

As much as he wanted to hold her and cry, Donnie knew that he had to move fast. Pulling away from Karai, he looked into her eyes. "I'll explain everything later. But for now I need you to listen. You are going to be confused for a little while but there are things I need to do. Okay? Can you trust me?"

Still in a minor amount of shock, Karai nodded and let Donnie guide her to the door. She gasped and her eyes went wide when she saw the others. She held on to him but Donnie ushered her towards Splinter. "Will you take her to the dojo to use the orb?"

"Of course," Splinter nodded, taking Karai's hand. "Do not be afraid. All will be explained shortly, my dear. Please, follow me."

"Why are you so short?" Karai asked in a small voice as they walked away.

There wasn't time to worry over Karai now. He had one more thing to do before the Shredder realized what was going on. The others followed him back into the lab and once again Donnie sat down at the controls. He did the necessary adjustments to have the portal enter into the Shredder's throne room.

"Dude…," Mikey said under his breath. "That's sick but not in the good way. It's just messed up."

Once again Donnie had to steady himself before he was able to move. Taking a deep breath he pushed away from the controls to look through the portal. His brothers' shells hanged on a wall with their weapons and masks preserved in frames, while Splinter's pelt was on the floor like a bear skin rug.

"What a sick fuck," Raph hissed in anger.

"Keep your emotions in check, Raph," Leo said as he moved towards the portal. "This is the only opportunity we will have to do this. We are not going in there it do anything but collect his family's remains. I will get Splinter and Leonardo. Mikey, you get Michelangelo and, Raph, you get Raphael."

"Got it," Mikey nodded.

And Raph grunted, "Yeah," though he sounded like he would rather kill someone while he was there.

"Be careful," Donnie warned. "He has some skilled mutants fighting for him and he is a ninja master as well."

"We can handle him," Raph smirked. "We took out aliens and demons. One man will be nothing by comparison."

"Don't get over confidant," Leo chided him. "We don't know him or what is his capable of."

"We know exactly what the sick bastard is capable of," Mikey scowled.

Leo sighed, "Let's go."

They rushed in and all Donnie could do was watch and pray that they were not caught. They were as respectful with his family's remains as they could be in their haste. Leo rolled Splinter's pelt and tucked it under his arm before turning to the wall to grab Leonardo's shell and weapons.

Raph was the first back to the portal, followed closely by Mikey. Donnie helped them through and then waited with bated breath for Leo. Once Leo was through the portal, Donnie turned it off for good measure.

They had done it, without event. He had expected the worst but now it was over. Finally he was able to let all of the emotions he had been keeping in check, out. He crumpled to the floor in tears and just sat there sobbing. Relief, pain, anguish, hope all flooded him at once. He was free but he had lost so much.

A pair of arms wrapped around him and held him close. Curling up, Donnie rested his head on the other turtle's chest. By the scars in the plastron, Donnie could tell that it was Raphael. Just like his brother, the tough guy was a big softy deep down. It was oddly soothing and heartbreaking at the same time.

"You did it," Raph soothed. "You saved them. Now they can be a peace."


	17. Chapter 17

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 17

Broken Pieces

Donny placed Snow in her crib. He was almost reluctant to put her down. The bonding exercises were helping with his depression and he enjoyed holding her once again. Donny checked her fingers one more time to make sure that Leatherhead had done a thorough job in trimming back her claws. He did not want her to scratch her pretty face while she slept.

Leatherhead walked up behind Donny and wrapped his arms around him. "Doctor Chaplin thinks that you should be able to go home soon."

Home. The thought of going back actually frightened Donatello. Going home meant that he would have to go back to work. He was comfortable and worry free in the Foot compound. Despite his reservations, Donny nodded his head. "It will be good to get back home."

"Raphael will be happy to see Snow again," Leatherhead added as he nuzzled Donny's neck.

With a sigh, Donny laughed. "The doctors here got Snow sleeping through the night, in her own bed. I will be so mad at Raph if he lets her sleep in with him, undoing all of that work."

It took several long, sleepless nights for them to get Snow to finally sleep in her own bed. For a while, Donny thought that it was never going to happen. The doctors were a huge help during the whole process. They would watch her during the day so Don and Leatherhead could sleep.

Leatherhead chuckled, "I agree, my love."

Keeping his eyes on Snow, Donny leaned back against Leatherhead. "You are too good to me, Kroki. Thank you for putting up with me during this difficult time."

"I love you," Leatherhead replied and wrapped his arms a little tighter around Donny. "I would do anything for you."

Donny watched Snow sleep and a soft smile spread across his lips. "Do you want to have anymore?"

"More children?" Leatherhead asked. When Donny nodded his head, Leatherhead answered, "I'm still not sure."

"We would be able to prepare ourselves for it this time," Donny said. "And I would hate for Snow to grow up alone." His hands rubbed along Leatherhead's arms and he tilted his head back to kiss the underside of Leatherhead's law. "We don't have to decide anything now though. But we can practice."

Leatherhead chuckled softly as Donatello turned in his arms. Donny continued to lavish Leatherhead's neck with kisses and his hands began to roam. Leatherhead scooped Donny up and carried him bridal style to their bed, on the other side of a curtain.

It was a large tatami mattress that was surrounded with pillows and Donatello hoped that the Foot would let them take it home with them. It was so much more comfortable than the nest of pillows and blankets they had had now.

Leatherhead set Donatello down and moved over him. "It's been a while."

"It has," Donatello agreed. "Way too long."

"I guess you have to be inside me," Leatherhead said, rolling off to the side. "We don't want to risk creating another child… yet."

"You can top," Donny smiled and rolled over to grab the pack of condoms. "I asked Doctor Chaplin for these. So we're covered. So to speak." He moved to straddle Leatherhead's tail and ran his fingers along the large croc's cloaca. "Let me get you ready."

Leatherhead hummed as his cloaca opened and Donny leaned down to suck on the sensitive flesh inside. With a deep moan, Leatherhead's tail swished and thumped on the floor under Donatello. Showering Leatherhead with attention, Donatello licked along the croc's length as it emerged.

He knew that the condom was going to kill some of the sensation for his lover, so Donatello continued to suck Leatherhead's cock for a while. He would have done it longer if it wasn't for the fact that he was eager to feel Leatherhead inside of him. So Donatello opened the condom and carefully unrolled it over Leatherhead's penis.

"Ready?" Donny asked, wiping his chin.

"Get on," Leatherhead husked, nodding his head. "I want to watch you."

Donny flushed. He knew what Leatherhead wanted. He got off watching Donny pleasure himself, especially while riding him. It was something Donatello used to do for Leatherhead often, even though it was a little embarrassing for him. He would rather do it missionary in the dark. But he loved Leatherhead and wanted to make him happy. Sometimes Don's nerves got the better of him and they would do it his way. Leatherhead wasn't selfish and tended to Don's needs as well.

Pulling his bottom lip through his teeth, Donny nodded and moved up Leatherhead. Donny stimulated himself enough to get his penis to emerge before lining himself up and pushing down. His body protested the intrusion at first but not enough to make Donny pull back. He simply rocked his hips as he ran his fingers along his penis. He moved to make sure Leatherhead's penis entered into his rectum and not the other entrance that led up to his alien uterus. Even though Leatherhead was wearing a condom, Donatello did not want to take any chances.

Leatherhead's hands stayed on Donny's thighs. The rough scales were too much for the sensitive flesh of Don's penis and tended to hurt. So Leatherhead knew to keep his hands off and occupied elsewhere.

Trembling, Donny leaned back and opened his legs so that Leatherhead had a good view. The large croc rumbled and his hands squeezed Donny's thighs. A nervous giggle bubble up out of Donny and he played with himself while his body adjusted.

Leatherhead's tail swished back and forth, indicating his desire to move but otherwise he held still. Donatello had to be the one to start moving first. The last thing Leatherhead wanted was to cause Donatello pain.

"You're so beautiful," Leatherhead purred, running his finger down Don's cheek. There was so much love laced within the words and simple touch. Don's cheeks heated further as another giggle erupted from him. Leatherhead had that effect on him. Turning his head, Don managed to kiss Leatherhead's finger before it dropped away.

Donatello leaned forward and kissed Leatherhead's snout. "I love you, Kroki." He then leaned back once again and started to move himself up and down. Donatello had missed the feeling of having Leatherhead inside of him.

Temporarily forgetting about his inhibitions, Donatello lost himself to the pleasure. With his head turned to the side, Donny pumped his cock as he rode Leatherhead. His thighs burned but Donatello continued to move, he was so close. "You feel so good, Kroki."

"Look at me." Leatherhead cupped Don's cheek with one hand. "Look at me while you finish."

Don nodded and looked down at Leatherhead. The heat in his cheeks intensified. He felt exposed and a little embarrassed but he trusted Leatherhead and he opened himself up completely to him. "I love you," Donny whimpered, a churr cutting off his words. He churred again as he finished and the sight of it had Leatherhead orgasm as well.

A smile parted Don's lips. It felt good to know that after all this time he still had that effect on Leatherhead. After kissing Leatherhead once more, Donny lifted up and turned around to remove the condom. He then wrapped it in a tissue and placed it in the trash can.

Don looked over his shoulder back at Leatherhead. "Was it oaky with the condom?"

Leatherhead nodded and smiled. "It helped me last longer but the orgasm was just a wonderful as ever."

"Good," Donny chuckled and turned back around to snuggle on top of Leatherhead. "There was a little bit of a different feel for me too but it wasn't bad."

"I'm just glad I have you back," Leatherhead mumbled as he rolled over and curled around Donny.

Donny snuggled up against Leatherhead and closed his eyes. In the silence that followed they could hear Snow sleeping in her crib. Donny sighed in contentment and drifted off to sleep.

Donny's dreams were about home at first but they soon shifted to Bishop's compound. He was strapped down to a bed with Bishop standing over him. Stockman was hooking Donatello up to a machine and in the bed next to him he could see himself, sleeping.

Donny tried to cry out but fear had taken his breath away. His heart hammered in his chest causing him pain. He struggled to breathe as the pain in his chest intensified, causing him to wake up.

It wasn't just a dream. The pain was real. His muscles rippled under his flesh, making it feel like something was crawling around.

Leatherhead's eyes snapped open and he sat up. "Donatello?" Panic filled the large croc when Donatello couldn't answer. He reluctantly left Donny's side and ran to the door. "Somebody help!" he called into the hallway. "Please. Something's wrong with Donatello."

..…

Donnie had managed to stop crying but he remained curled up in Raph's arms. He was numb, unsure what he was going to do next. He was glad that he wasn't alone but he missed his brothers dearly. Would he ever be able to feel at home in this new world? Did he really belong? He was so different from them and yet he felt a kinship with them.

"Donatello?"

Donnie lifted his head to see Karai. Her eyes were filled with tears as she knelt down next to him. Glancing to the side, she saw the remains of their family and started to cry. Donnie moved out of Raph's lap and pulled Karai into a warm embrace. "Did the orb work for you?"

She nodded her head against him. "I got to see my mother." Pulling away so she could look at Donnie, Kari forced a smile. "And my father was human again. He told me that he was going to be reborn in this world soon."

Donnie nodded, "He told me the same thing."

"So we'll see him again someday," Karai mumbled through her tears. She cupped Donnie's face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "I want you to tell me everything you can about him."

Donnie brought his hand up to grab hold of Karai's. "I will."

"I'm glad I still have you," Karai whispered, leaning her forehead on his. "Thank you for saving me."

"I'm sorry it took so long," Donnie replied, once again taking her into his arms. They remained on the floor, embracing each other for a while. Donnie ran his fingers through Karai's soft hair. "You look like your mother," he whispered. "I didn't see it before, when you wore all of that make up. But now that your hair's longer and your face is clean, I can see it."

"Father said the same thing," Karai mumbled.

Splinter entered the lab and looked down at the pair. "If you would like," he offered, "we can set up a shrine, to honor your family, in one of the smaller, unused rooms."

"That would be nice," Donnie said as Karai pulled out of his embrace and stood up. Donnie managed to get his wobbly legs to support him enough to stand. He wiped his hand across his face and looked at Splinter. "Thank you. For everything."

Donnie and Karai supported each other as the others collected his family's remains and led them from the lab. Leonardo opened a door to what was probably meant to be a janitor's closet. "This should do." He turned to look at Donnie. "It's big enough but not too big. We can set up your family's remains in here or we can burn them but, I'm sure you know, that burying them is not an option."

Donnie nodded, "I know." He looked over at Karai. "The shells won't burn but the pelt will. We could cremate it and save the ashes. And, maybe, place the carapaces on the wall. Would that be too morbid?"

Karai shook her head. "You would do it in a way of respect and not as trophies like Shredder."

"We can help you," Mikey offered. "Whatever you want to do. We'll set it all up and make it look nice."

"I have something nice that you can put the ashes into," Leo said. "It's small but there won't be a lot of ashes since it is only his pelt."

Donnie nodded, "Thank you. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all of this."

Splinter placed his hand on Donnie's shoulder. "You don't have to make any decisions right now. Take some time to think about what you want to do. For now, we can place the remains in here as we gather up all that will be needed."

Donnie rung his hands together, "Are you sure that will be okay? It feels like we are tucking them away in a storage closet."

"It will take some time to get everything sorted out." Splinter kept his tone even and Donnie found it to be soothing. "We are not disrespecting your family in any way and we are not going to stuff them in there and forget about them. It is only temporary."

"Okay," Donnie sighed. "You're right. I need time to think."

Karai grabbed his hand in both of hers. "We'll work this out together."

"For now let's sort through all of the items from your home and see what can be used in the shrine," Splinter said. "It might help to ease your mind if you are occupied."

Raph, Leo, and Mikey carefully placed the remains in the closet. Donnie tried not to think of it as a closet but it in all honesty that is what it was. As Leo moved to close the door, Donnie let out a slight gasp. More tears filled his eyes and he couldn't pull his gaze from what was left of his family.

Leonardo thought for a moment and then got to work removing the door from its hinges. Raph caught on to what he was doing and stepped in to help. The two removed the door and leaned it against the wall. Leo knocked on the wood and then looked over at Donnie. "We can probably use this as a shelf in the shrine for any pictures you have."

"That is a good idea," Splinter nodded in agreement and then turned to Raphael. "After dinner, I want you to figure out a way to mount the door to the wall."

"I think I have some things I can use to set that up." Raph turned to Donnie. "I saw some pillows that could be used for kneeling and one of those rugs you brought over would fit in there too. And we got a curtain that we can use in place of the door."

"I've got some candles and incense," Leo added.

"I can go make us dinner," Mikey chimed in. "I don't have much else to offer in all of this. I'm also gonna call April so she can bring over some clothes and other girly things that Karai might need."

"Alright," Splinter agreed and Mikey turned and headed down the stairs. Splinter then turned to Donnie. "All of your things are this way," he pointed back in the other direction and started to lead Donnie down the path.

Everything was neatly stacked in a clearing by the stairs with his bag placed on top of it all. "Let's get all of this sorted." Leo said, walking up to the pile. He stopped midstride and pulled what looked like their version of a T-phone from his belt. "Hello?"

Leo stood silent for a moment while he listened to who had called. "Is he alright?" Leo asked and there was an air of tension that filled the room. "We'll be right there." He closed his phone and looked at the others. "Something's wrong with Donny. Doctor Chaplin is looking at him now. Karai said that it didn't look good but didn't go into detail."

"Raphael, get Michelangelo. We are going." Splinter ordered.

With a slight nod, Raphael bolted down the stairs. Donnie rushed over and grabbed his bag from the pile. "I'm going with you. Maybe I can help."

"Alright," Leo nodded and then turned to Karai. "Will you be coming as well?"

"Yes," Karai answered.

"Let's go," Splinter said, heading for the stairs and Leo, Donnie, and Karai followed after.


	18. Chapter 18

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 18

Rejection

Leonardo led his family into the Foot compound. They met no opposition as they entered and the one Foot soldier who appeared wordlessly took up the lead to guide them to where they were keeping Donatello. Once they reached their destination, the Foot soldier opened the door and stepped aside as the Turtles entered.

Donatello was in bed with monitoring devices attached to him. Leo's heart sank at the sight of it. How many times was he going to have to see one of his brothers clinging to life?

Whatever was wrong with him, it was obvious that Donatello was in pain.

Leatherhead was sitting next to the bed, holding Donny's hand. He looked up as they entered and he did a double take when his eyes fell on Donny's counterpart. He glanced up at Leonardo then back to the counterpart.

Leo looked back at Donnie then turned once again to Leatherhead. "We will explain how he got here later. Right now our biggest concern is what's going on with Donny."

Leatherhead sighed and looked down at his love. "Doctor Chaplin ran some tests…. Donatello's cells are breaking down."

"Why?" Raph asked as Donnie stepped forward.

Leatherhead eyed the counterpart suspiciously. "It appears that in order to implant Donatello with the alien uterus, Bishop had to clone him. And, like with Bishop, the clone has a shelf life."

Mikey took a few deep breaths as he found the courage to ask, "That's not really Donny?"

Leatherhead tore his eyes from Donatello's counterpart and looked up at Michelangelo. "He is Donatello. He has just been placed in a different body."

"Can Chaplin clone Donny a new body?" Leo asked.

Leatherhead shook his head. "He does not know the process and even if he did, he would need the DNA from Donatello's original body in order to do it."

"So," Mikey choked back a sob. "We're gonna lose him. He's gonna start to fall apart like Stockman did."

Leatherhead looked down at Donatello and squeezed his hand. "Chaplin is trying to find a way to stop the deterioration. So far he has only succeeded in slowing it down."

As Leatherhead spoke the words, Leonardo didn't hear any kind of hope in them. He doubted that there was anything that could be done.

"We need to find Bishop and make him fix this," Raph said, slamming his fist into his hand.

Leatherhead shook his head. "Donatello has already decided on that. He doesn't want to risk being captured again. He knows that Bishop's original goal was to use him for breeding. There is no way he will risk having his children raised by that man."

Tears streamed down Mikey's cheeks. "So we're just gonna let him die?"

Leatherhead closed his eyes, unable to answer.

"Where is Doctor Chaplin," Donnie asked, looking around the room. "Maybe I can help with the research."

Leatherhead looked up at him then over at Leo.

Shrugging, Leo said, "If anyone can find a way to save Donatello, it will be Donatello. There's no one smarter."

"I remember where the lab is," Mikey announced, lunging forward to grab hold of Donnie. The look of surprise on Donnie's face as Mikey pulled him from the room was almost comical. If it weren't for the dire situation, it would have been enough to make Leo laugh.

"How did he get in our world?" Donny asked after they had left. His voice was strained and his chest heaved as he turned his head to look up at Leo. "I need to know the answer."

Leo sat down on the other side of the bed and took Donny's hand. "Mikey was messing with your portal device. He figured out how to flip through the stations, so to speak. He saw Donnie lying on the floor. He had lost his family and had given up on life. And you know Mikey, he had to help. So he ran through. All it took to bring him back was for Raph to stick his hand in and pull Mikey through."

Donny stared up at Leo in silence. His eyes darted back and forth as he processed what Leo had said. After a while, Donny sighed and said, "That's it? That's all it took? It was that simple?"

Leo nodded, "It was that simple."

Donny let out a slight chuckle that visibly caused him pain. "Leave it to Mikey to find a simple solution to a problem I had been over thanking."

"Yeah, he's good at that." Raph said, trying his best to sound upbeat.

Leo looked back at the other dimension's Karai. She was standing back, out of the way, looking out of place. In all honesty, she was. This wasn't her world and she hadn't had the chance to get to know any of them. Leo sighed inwardly. There wasn't much he could do about it now.

Splinter walked up next to Leonardo and placed his hand on Donatello's head. His black eyes shone with tears and the fur under his eyes was soaked. There were no words of comfort that could be offered. Nothing could be said to ease the pain.

Time passed and the situation felt hopeless. What chance was there for them to find a way to stabilize the clone's structure when Bishop couldn't find it? The government agent had had decades to figure it out.

Raph joined them by the bed and Leatherhead moved back to give him some room. As Leatherhead let go of Donny's hand, Raph reached out to grab it.

Donny opened his eyes and looked up at Raph. "You and Leatherhead be good to Snow, okay. You two need to stop fighting over her care. You need to work together, for her."

Raph nodded in response, doing his best to hold back his tears. "Okay."

"You know I love you, Raph," Donny whispered.

Choking on a sob, Raph leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on Donny's lips. "If I was into dudes, you would have been mine a long time ago."

"You would've had to share me with Leatherhead," Donny smiled.

Raph laughed through the tears. "I'm glad he was able to give you what I couldn't."

The door opened and Donnie came running in, followed by Chaplin and Mikey. Donnie held a syringe in his hand and headed straight for Donny. "I hope this works."

Before anyone had time to react or ask any questions, Donnie started to inject a dark glowing substance in to Donny through the IV tube. Once the syringe was empty Donnie stepped back, keeping his eyes on Donny.

At first nothing happened. But then Donny grunted in pain. Whatever was happening then turned agonizing for him. His body trashed as he cried out, every muscle tense and he gripped the sheets in a white knuckle grasp.

"What did you do?" Leatherhead roared, turning to glare at Donnie.

"I'm sorry," Donnie sobbed, crumpling to the floor.

The screams were hard to listen to and Leo was sure that it was his brother's final moments. Eventually, Donny stopped screaming and he went limp. His body was drenched in sweat and all motion had stopped. Leo held his breath as he looked down at his brother. Then Donny's chest started to move with steady breaths and Leo was able to heave a sigh of relief.

Chaplin moved forward and started to examine Donny. "Everything seems to be stabilizing. But I will need a blood sample to make sure." He reached into his lab coat and pulled out the items he would need to draw some blood.

As Chaplin worked on collecting the sample, Leo walked over to Donnie. "What did you inject into him?" As he spoke, Leo looked up and noticed that there were several people standing in the door way, looking into the room. The screams must have drawn their attention.

"I… m…modified the mutagen from my world," Donnie answered meekly from the floor. "I tested it on his blood. I had no idea that it would do that to him. I'm so sorry."

"It might have caused him pain," Chaplin said as he pulled the needle from Donny's arm. "But it looks like it might have saved him. I'll run some test to make sure but I'm hopeful."

Raph turned to look at Donnie. "You brought mutagen over from your world?"

Donnie nodded in response.

Leatherhead stood up and walked over to Donnie. With wide eyes, Donnie followed his movements and then cringed when he realized that the large croc was approaching. "Please don't grab my face," he said, bringing his arms up to shield himself.

Leatherhead paused, taken back by Donnie's words. "Why would I grab you by the face?"

Bringing his arms down to look up at Leatherhead, Donnie replied, "That's what Leatherhead in my world did to me all the time whenever he was mad. And I don't know why. He just kept going after my face. He was huge, larger than you, and his hand covered my whole face. Then he would fling his arms around, whipping me back and forth like a rag doll."

Donnie became animated as he spoke and his frustration could be heard in the way he spoke. He realized what he was doing and blushed, closing his mouth as he stood up. Taking a deep breath he looked up at Leatherhead. "You are different from him in a lot of ways but, like him, I can tell that you are a friend."

Leatherhead reached out and grabbed hold of Donnie, pulling him into a warm embrace. "Thank you for saving my love."

At first Donnie was surprised by the gesture but then his features softened as his eyes filled with sorrow. "We're not sure if it worked yet."

"I think it did," Donny mumbled, drawing their attention back to him. "It doesn't feel like my skin is crawling anymore. But, then again, I feel like I was hit by a bus. It's a completely different kind of pain than before."

Leatherhead rushed back over to Donny and nuzzled him. "I was so frightened."

Donny reached up and caressed Leatherhead's long jaw.

"It is so strange to see them together," Donnie mumbled. "I never felt that way for Leatherhead. Mikey was closer to him."

Leo laughed. "I guess there are quite a few differences between our two worlds. Just wait until you see their baby." Reaching out, Leo pulled Donnie into a warm hug. "Thank you for saving my brother."

"No problem," Donnie hugged him back. "I couldn't sit back and do nothing. I know the pain of watching your brother die."

Splinter, who had remained silent through the whole ordeal, walked up and grabbed Donnie's hand. "Thank you," was all he managed to say before his words were choked off with a sob. Splinter then walked back over to the bed and sat down next to Donny.

"We owe you a great deal," Raph added, patting Donnie on the back before heading back over to Donny. "I'm glad Mikey found you."

Karai walked into the room carrying Snow. She looked down at her counterpart, he eyes narrowing slightly out of curiosity then she saw Donnie and paused. "I'm sure there is an interesting story that explains who you are but by the look of you, I am going to guess that you are not another clone."

"That is correct," Donnie nodded. His eyes drifted down to look at the baby in Karai's arms. "That must be Snow."

Karai smiled. "She woke up from her nap and I figured that since Donatello is no longer in critical condition that he might want to see her."

"I'm a little too tired to hold her now," Donny replied. "But, I'm sure Raph will be more than happy to take her off your hands."

"Absolutely." Raph stood and relieved Snow from Karai. Snow cooed in delight as Raph leaned down to nuzzle her. "I missed your smell," he whispered and then kissed her head.

Feeling a great swell of relief, Leo moved back over to Donny's side. Once more, death was avoided.


	19. Chapter 19

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 19

Sacrifice

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Donnie prepared himself. He did not know why the idea of getting to know his counterpart in this world was so nerve racking. But, he was scared. If this world's Donatello was anything like his brothers then he was going to welcome him with open arms. But, there was still a lingering doubt. What if he felt like Donnie was encroaching on his territory?

It was better to get it over with, sooner rather than later. Steeling his nerves, Donnie opened the door and looked in. "Are you decent?"

With a slight chuckle, Donatello looked up from his book and smiled, "Yes." Placing the book on the bedside table, Donny waved Donnie over. "Come in. I've been eager to properly meet you."

That was a relief. Donny genuinely looked happy to see him. Donnie made his way over to look at Donny's stats then sat down next to the bed. "It looks like you are going to be okay."

"I have you to thank for that," Donny stated. "Thank you."

Donnie blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "I couldn't sit back and do nothing."

"Do you still have some of your world's mutagen?" Donny asked. "I would love to study it."

Nodding, Donnie answered, "I do. I had collected several containers. I brought them with me because I was afraid of them falling into the wrong hands." He scoffed and looked down at his hands. "It's not like it mattered. Shredder has vats of the stuff. It's already in the wrong hands. The only good he has ever done with it was reversing Karai's mutation."

"My brothers have told me all that they know about you," Donny said. "I have a vague understanding of what you went through." Letting out a soft chuckle, Donny looked up. "I was sent thirty years into a possible future where my brothers were in a hellish place ruled by Shredder. It was a horrible place…. Long story short, we fought and I saw each of them killed. That future has been plaguing me. But it wasn't my future. It was just another world within the multiverse. I was at least able to return to my home and my family and put that trauma behind me. But you…. This is by far worse than what I went through."

Donnie shrugged as he fought back tears. "At least I'm not alone anymore and I was able to save Karai."

"It's gonna be strange," Donny chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, "having two Donatellos and two Karais."

Wiping his eyes, Donnie shook his head. "Actually…, Karai and I talked about it. She said that she wants to go by the name she was given by her parents; Hamato Miwa."

"Hamato Miwa?" Donny repeated with a raised eye ridge.

Donnie nodded with a slight smile. "She's Master Splinter's daughter. She was taken from him when she was just a baby and raised by Shredder. The saddest part about all of it was that she never got the chance to know either of her parents and she never will."

They sat in silence for a moment, unsure of what else to say. Then Donnie cleared his throat, "I figured that I could change my name as well."

"That's not fair," Donny shook his head. "I would never ask you to give up the name your father gave you. It makes sense for Ka… Miwa. She is taking back what was originally hers. But, for you, that would just be cruel."

Donnie shrugged, "It the best thing to do to avoid confusion. And, this is your world so it's only right that I be the one to change."

"We'll figure something else out," Donny insisted.

"Like what?" Donnie asked, rubbing his head.

"Well," Donny thought for a moment. "What about simply giving up your nickname?"

Donnie looked up at Donny and waited.

"How about we start calling you…. Tello," Donny offered. "I take the first half of the name and you can have the second."

"There's still gonna be some confusion," Tello pointed out.

"We'll survive it," Donny smiled. "This way we get to both keep the name."

Tello thought for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. That could work."

"It's gonna be great having another genius in the lair," Donny smiled. "My brothers told me that you built robots…of…." Donny stopped talking when he remembered that the robots were built to replace Tello's brothers. Clearing his throat, Donny changed the subject. "So, were you and Leatherhead in a relationship in your world?"

Tello's eyes went wide. "No!" he blurted out, shaking his head. "Not at all. He was always grabbing my face." Tello relaxed and sighed, remembering. "He calmed down a bit after spending, what was to him, decades in Dimension X. He was Mikey's best friend. I was in love with April."

Donny smiled, "Have a thing for older women."

"She wasn't an adult like your April," Tello corrected. "She was only a year older and the most beautiful…." His throat closed up on him and he had to swallow a few times to clear it before he could continue. "In the end she chose Casey." Looking at Donny, Tello asked, "Did you ever have a crush on your April?"

"No," Donny shook his head. "I admired her intellect, but to say that I had a crush on her would be a gross exaggeration. I'm gay, through and through."

"And now half female?" Tello prompted.

Donny nodded, "Thanks to Agent Bishop and his cloning procedure."

"So," Tello hesitated for a moment as he shifted in his seat. "Do you think there are or will be more clones of you?"

Donny shook his head, "If Bishop could make more than one clone at a time I believe there would be more of him. He brought a clone to life once and the creature lost its mind. I think there needs to be a transfer of consciousness for the cloning process to be successful. This might not be my original body but I am still me."

Tello nodded, "I think I understand."

Donny craned his neck to look down at Tello's hands. "You're definitely built different than we are."

Tello chuckled and held up his hands. "Yeah."

"Mikey tells me you have three toes," Donny said as he tried to look down at Tello's feet.

"Yep," Tello said, bringing his foot up to rest on his other thigh so Donny could see. "I have big feet and big hands. It made tinkering with electronics and running quietly a bit of a challenge but I managed."

"Those large hands saved my life," Donny said. "You are a genius in your own right. I'm grateful to have you here. And I can't wait to spar with you in the dojo."

A gentle knock on the door had the two genius turtles turning to see who it was. Raph poked his head into the room. "Miwa wants to talk to you," he said to Tello.

"Thank you," Tello stood and looked down at Donny. "I'll see you later. You should be able to return home today."

"Bye," Donny said, grabbing Tello's hand. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other."

"We will," Tello agreed, turning to leave as Donny let go of his hand.

As he walked down the hall with Raph, the red banded turtle turned to address him. "Did you get the whole name thing sorted out?"

Tello nodded, "We did. The only thing we are going to change is my nickname. I'm going by Tello now."

Raph chuckled, "I like it." They walked for a while longer before Raph said, "How you holding up?"

"It's all happening so fast," Tello said with a shrug. "Just the other day I was giving up on life and today I am walking through the halls of the Foot compound in another dimension after saving my counterpart."

"It's been a lot to take in," Raph agreed. "When shit happens too fast to really process, it all catches up to you later. I want you to know that I'm here for you, whatever you need. You don't have to go through it alone."

Tello stopped causing Raph to do the same. With patient eyes, Raph watched Tello sort out what he wanted to say. "Well… It's just… I don't…. I don't want to be alone right now. Sleeping next to you last night… it helped."

"Do you wanna keep sleeping in my room?" Raph offered.

Tello blushed as he nodded. "It's nothing funny. It's just…."

"It's fine," Raph said, placing his hand on Tello's shoulder. "I don't mind. And, in fact, I like the company. Nothing funny," Raph chuckled, "but having someone close would be nice. Don and I were close and if I was into guys we would be together but I'm not. Mikey and Leo share a room. They are as intimate as two people can be without sex."

Raph hesitated and cleared his throat, stopping himself before he said too much. But Tello could read between the lines. "You want to, maybe, establish that kind of relationship with me?"

Raph shrugged, "I desire companionship, someone to be close to. You don't have to, but the offer's there."

"We can try," Tello smiled earning a smile from Raph in return.

"Let's find out what your sister wanted," Raph said and turned to continue back down the hall. Raph led Tello to a room and opened the door for him. "She's in here."

"Thank you," Tello said as Raph left the two of them alone.

Miwa stood in the center of the room, dressed in a shinobi shozoku. Her hair was still long but was pulled up into a tight bun. A light amount of makeup covered her face but nowhere near as much as she had in the past. Smiling to himself, Tello wondered what Leo would think if he saw her now.

She looked up as Tello approached. "Hey."

"Hey," Tello replied. "Where did you get the outfit?"

Miwa looked down at herself and answered. "Karai gave it to me."

"You look good," Tello said. He took a moment to look around the room before getting to the reason for being there. "Raph said you wanted to see me?"

Miwa nodded and looked down at her hands. "Karai has offered to let me stay here."

Tello's heart sank and all he could manage to say was, "Oh."

Hearing the pain in his voice, Miwa walked up to Tello and placed her hand on his cheek. "I need some kind of sibilance of normalcy. Living in the lair with the Turtles is good for you because it is something you know but for me, it's the Foot. I'll come visit. I'm gonna want to see you and the shrine but I need to be here. Karai is great and she understands me and we have a lot in common. The Shredder of this world raised her too and she wants to regain her honor."

Fighting back the tears, Tello nodded, "I understand."

"There's more," Miwa whispered. "Remember how father said that he is going to be reborn in this world?"

Tello nodded.

"Karai's pregnant," Miwa stated as she leaned in closer to Tello. "My gut tells me that her baby is father. He told me that he was going to be close and that I would be able to find him. I want to be here so I don't miss a moment with him."

"Okay," Tello smiled. "It's okay. As much as I would love to keep you around, I'm not going to make you live in the sewers with me. You're human, you don't have to stay in hiding. As long as we don't lose touch, that's all that matters."

Miwa wrapped her arms around Tello. "Don't worry. We'll see each other often enough." When they pulled apart, Miwa wiped some tears from her cheeks. "So. Did you ever work out what you were going to start calling yourself?"

"Tello," he answered.

Miwa let out a light chuckle. "I like that." She leaned in to hug him again. "We're gonna be okay."

"Yeah," Tello sighed. "We will."


	20. Chapter 20

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 20

Heal

Tello was helping Donny pack his things in preparation to leave when Dr. Chaplin entered the room. "Do you think that, maybe, we could make a trade?"

"Trade?" Donny asked, lifting an eye ridge.

Dr. Chaplin held up a small vile of the pink mutagen. "I will give you some of mine for some of yours. I would love to study the differences and similarities between them. Something tells me that you would too."

The two genius turtles shared a look then Donny said, "I never got the chance to study the mutagen that changed us so I'm intrigued."

Tello nodded in agreement. "I am too." He turned to look at Dr. Chaplin. "You have a deal." Reaching into his bag, Tello pulled out his canister of ooze. "I'll just need…" Before he was able to finish Dr. Chaplin pulled out an empty vile and held it out to Tello. "… something to put it in," Tello mumbled, taking the vile.

"I like to be prepared." Chaplin smiled.

Tello poured a small amount of the mutagen into the vile and passed it back to Chaplin. "Just so you know. The mutagen from my world is milked from a large creature from Dimension X, called a Kraathatrogon."

"Really?" Donny asked. "Is it like a cow?"

"No," Tello answered shaking his head. "It's a large worm like creature with a face on its butt."

"That… sounds… interesting," Donny said slowly.

"They were large enough to ride on," Tello said flatly then added. "One swallowed Casey whole. I saved him with salt."

"Is that the most bazar thing you have ever experienced?" Chaplin asked.

Tello shook his head. "No. I also encountered a Bigfoot…. She developed a crush on me. It was a little creepy. And then there were the Dream Beavers."

"I look forward to the stories you have to tell." Donny smiled. "I thought I've had some bazar life experiences."

"Not all of them are funny," Tello stated.

Donny placed a reassuring hand on Tello's shoulder. "Neither are mine. Talking about them, though, will help you heal." He lifted his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'm ready to go home."

Tello nodded. "Yeah. I'll go get Ka…Miwa. She has a few things at the lair. It's not much but it's all she has." Turning to Dr. Chaplin, Tello smiled. "Thank you for this. I look forward to sharing notes."

"So do I," Chaplin replied. "I hope we get to see more of each other."

"Me too," Tello said before walking out the door. He placed the small vile into his bag as he walked down the hall. He thought back to Donny's statement of wanting to go home and he wondered how long it was going to take before he started to feel like this place was home.

…

Miwa had one request. She asked to be allowed to use the portal to enter Tello's old lair. The Turtles had agreed to let her go but stayed ready to come to her aid. They still did not know if Shredder was watching the lair.

Miwa entered alone and walked into the dojo. Climbing the tree to get to the higher branches, Miwa cut some of the smaller, new branches with a small knife. With her acquisition in hand, she jumped down from the tree and hurried back to the portal.

Tello was there to help her through.

Opening her hand she showed Tello the cuttings. "I will attempt to grow a bonsai with these so that I can always have a little piece of home."

With a sad smile, Tello nodded. "That is a wonderful idea."

"Karai has all of the supplies I will need. I will try to grow you one as well," Miwa promised then looked down at her hands. "It will take some time and it's not guaranteed."

"I understand," Tello said. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. Thank you for thinking of me."

Wrapping her arms around him, she hugged him tight. "Thank you for getting me out of that hell. This world is wonderful and I have hope again. I love you, little brother."

"I love you too," Tello whispered back before they parted.

Leo and Mikey escorted Miwa back to the Foot headquarters while Donny settled back into his lab and Raph got started on the small shrine. What seemed like it would be a daunting task for Tello was easily done by Raph. The door was used as a wall mounted table where candles, incents, and photos were placed. The three carapaces were hung on the wall along with their framed masks. The weapons were removed and placed in the dojo.

Splinter took the pelt and carefully cleaned it before rolling it up once again. Tello didn't want to display it so they took it down the tracks, away from the lair, and burned it. The ashes were then collected and placed in a small decretive box that was sealed. Tello placed the box on the table in front of the pictures along with Splinter's walking stick.

In just a few hours the task was complete and Tello had a small shrine. Kneeling down in front of the table, Tello looked up at his brothers' shells. "I wonder if this has helped my brothers find their peace. When I visited them, using the orb, I could tell that they were still suffering."

"I'm sure it has," Raph answered from the doorway. "You have treated their remains with respect and love. That carries over. I'm sure they feel it." He looked down at Tello. "Did this help you find some peace?"

Tello shrugged, "I guess. I miss them so much…. It still hurts."

"That'll take some time," Raph soothed. Placing his hand on Tello's shoulder, Raph gave it a reassuring squeeze. "If you ever want to talk, I'll listen."

"You've done so much for me," Tello sighed. "Soon, it will come to a point where you find me a bother."

Raph shook his head. "Never. I understand that you are going through a rough time right now. I ain't gonna turn my back on you."

Tello sat staring at nothing in particular. It was the first chance he had gotten to settle down and let it all sink in. It was still kind of surreal. He had known that other Turtles existed in the multiverse, he had seen some himself, he never imagined meeting any of them much less live with them.

He wondered how different this world was from his home. Blinking his eyes to bring them back into focus, Tello looked up at Raph. "Can we go on a rooftop run?"

Raph took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know. The city ain't safe right now."

"Has it ever been?" Tello asked flatly.

With a slight chuckle, Raph shook his head. "Not really."

"I wanna see something familiar," Tello pleaded. "The city should look the same…, for the most part. I wanna know if I can find my way around."

"Alright," Raph nodded. "I'll take you out. Just don't make a big fuss as we're leaving. They might not let us go."

"I'll get my bo," Tello said as he stood up. "I've suck out plenty of times so this is nothing new."

Together, they made their way to the surface and up to the nearest roof. Tello looked out over the city and smiled. "I know where we are."

"Then lead the way," Raph offered. "If you do get lost, I'll get us home and if you start going into a part of the city that isn't safe, I'll let you know."

Without a word, Tello shot off across the rooftops and Raph followed. It felt good to be out running again.

He led the way with one destination in mind. Dropping down to the streets, Tello opened a nearby manhole cover and slipped down into the sewers.

The underground maze was the same and he ran through the tunnels like he was home again. He was almost there. Turning a corner he entered into the final straight away. Hopping the broken turnstiles, Tello had made it. "It's here."

Raph joined him and whistled as he looked around. "This is nice."

"This is home," Tello rasped out before running off.

Raph followed at a slower pace, staying alert for any enemies.

When Tello saw the tree he rushed forward to place his hands on it. "It's here." Overcome with emotion, Tello dropped to his knees and started to cry.

"Wow," Raph whispered, looking up at the tree. "Your father found an awesome spot you raise you guys." He knelt down next to Tello and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. "Let it out, little brother."

Cradled in Raph's arms, Tello cried until his eyes burned. After a while he settled and looked up at Raph. "Do you want me to show you around?"

"Sure," Raph nodded.

"This was the dojo." Tello stood, spreading his arms wide. "We managed to fit doors over the entrance and Master Splinter's room was back that way." He walked Raph around the abandoned station, painting a mental picture of how their home was set up. With each description Tello told Raph a story about his childhood. Raph remained quiet as Tello spoke, laughing at all the right times to indicate that he was paying attention.

Hours later, Tello sighed when he realized that he had run out of things to say. "This helped a lot."

"And it helped me get to know you better," Raph smiled, patting Tello on the back. "We know this is here now and we can always come back. But, for now, I think we should head back to the lair and get some sleep."

"That is a wonderful idea," Tello nodded in agreement. "I am exhausted." He looked at Raph. "Thank you. I really needed this."

"I'm glad Mikey found you," Raph admitted. "I…. I needed someone and you're here now. I think we will be able to help each other."

"I'd like that," Tello said and reached out to hold Raph's hand.


	21. Chapter 21

Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello were sent out to search for Raphael and Tello once it was discovered that they were no longer in the lair. To make matters worse, Raph didn't have his shell-cell on him and Donny hadn't had the chance to register Tello's T-phone so there was no way to track them. Splinter was beside himself with anger and worry.

As they searched they came across Hun and the Purple Dragons. Hun was beating one of his own, accusing him of stealing. Apparently there were several prescription pain pill bottles missing. The Turtles didn't feel the need to intervene.

Leonardo wasn't sure if it was a result of the mutation or if it was because he no longer had Shredder there to keep him under control, but Hun had become a mad man. True, it wasn't the first time Hun had brutally attacked another. Hun had methodically dismembered Baxter Stockman until he was just a brain and an eyeball back before he had been mutated. However, he was taking more risks recently.

He made no attempt to stay hidden, showing no fear when he walked down the street. People would scatter at the sight of him and Leo was sure that Hun delighted in that fact. The Purple Dragons were armed with an assortment of Triceraton weaponry and a few of them were mutants as well. They were all well-known and used it to cause fear in the city.

The Foot soldiers who did not like the fact that Karai had turned the Foot away from crime defected and had joined Hun. So Hun not only had well-armed men following him but skilled ones as well. Fortunately the elite were not among the one who had defected.

Bishop, on the other hand, had his own agenda. True he fought against Hun but he was also still after the Turtles. Agents patrolled the streets and the sewers, looking for them. It was an obsession of the government agent. He wanted his super soldiers and he saw the Turtles as a way to get them.

The recent discovery of the fact that Donatello was a clone intended for breeding showed them that Bishop was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Anything but ask the Turtles to join him.

The city was no longer safe, especially for the Turtles.

This was the reason why Splinter was beside himself with anger. Leo and the others had arrived back at the lair in time to hear Splinter release all of that anger. "What were you thinking?" he snapped.

"I guess Raph and Tello are back," Mikey whispered as they stepped through the door. Leo nodded in response. It appeared that they had returned just after Raph and Tello.

"Tello wanted to go for a run to see if he could navigate the city," Raph answered. "You know. To see what was the same and what was different."

Master Splinter struck Raphael with his walking stick; something he hasn't done in years. "Then you get your brothers to go with you. You don't go off alone. What would you have done if you were attacked? You didn't have your shell-cell with you. I have nearly lost you too many times already…."

"I'm sorry," Raph said as he rubbed his arm. "I just wanted to help Tello feel better." Dropping to his knees at Splinter's feet, Raph kept his eyes on the ground. "I'm sorry. I keep screwing up."

Splinter took a deep breath to settle his anger. "All I ask is that you do not go out alone. You know what Hun is capable of. I cannot bear the thought of losing one of you."

"It won't happen again," Raph promised.

"See that it doesn't," Splinter replied. "Now," he said as he turned and headed toward the dojo. His eyes fell on the others for a moment and Leo could see the relief in them. "Everyone to the dojo. Due to recent events, we have been lax in your training. It is time we remedy that. We also need to work on getting Tello integrated into the group. The five of you must learn to fight as a team."

"Hai, Sensei," the Turtles said in unison.

Tello helped Raph to stand and they followed after Splinter. "Sorry I got you into trouble," Tello mumbled.

"I knew what I was doing." Raph smiled at Tello and shrugged. "I get in trouble a lot. I just can't seem to learn my lesson."

Mikey rushed up behind them and rested his arms across their shoulders. "You two seem to be getting cozy." A big grin flashed across his face and he wiggled his eye ridges.

"About as cozy as you and Leo," Raph grumbled, pushing Mikey's arm off.

Mikey's grin widened. "Leo and I have sex."

"Mikey!" Leo chided as Raph turned to look at him with a shocked expression.

Tello's eyes went wide. "You do?"

"We don't," Leo clarified. "Mikey's just trying to get a reaction out of us."

"And I got it," Mikey chuckled. "I wish I had had a camera to capture the looks on your faces."

"Careful," Donny warned. "We are about to start practice after all. You don't want Leo mad at you when you two spar."

"Leo's not gonna hurt me," Mikey purred. "He wuves me." Leo's hand came up and struck the back of Mikey's head. "Ouch," Mikey hissed, rubbing where Leo had struck. "Maybe not as much as I thought."

"I don't see how he puts up with you at all, knucklehead," Raph chuckled as they entered the dojo. "I swear you've only gotten worse."

"I guess you're not the only one who can't seem to learn his lesson," Tello chuckled.

Mikey noticed the weapons that had once belonged to Tello's brothers hanging on the wall. "Are you sure you want those in here?"

"I've got enough stuff to hold on to." Tello shrugged. "It'd be better if they were used. It would be a shame for them to go to waste." He walked over and grabbed his brother's nunchakus off the wall and then offered them to Mikey. "You press the button here to activate the kusarigama and blade."

Mikey stuck his nunchakus in his belt and reached for the ones in Tello's hands. "A blade? That is awesome."

"Be careful, Mikey," Raph said, taking a step back. "There was a reason you didn't get a bladed weapon."

Mikey let out a sarcastic laugh. "I've gotten better since I was ten. You guys healed." He pressed the button, causing the blade to pop out and the chain to drop. Mikey's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, Master Splinter, you have to teach me how to use this. If I managed to win the Nexus Tournament with my simple nunchakus, I will be unstoppable with these."

"I do not think that you would have it mastered in time for the next tournament," Splinter said, taking the weapon from Michelangelo. "But if you are interested, I will teach you how to use this."

"Yes," Mikey silently cheered.

Tello turned and pulled his brother's swords from the wall next. As he approached Leo, the turtle leader held up his hand. "No offence but I have a fond attachment to my own swords."

"I understand that. However, I looked your swords over," Tello said as he pulled the hidden blade from the handle. "I noticed yours don't have this feature. I figured, if anything, I could help you add this to your existing blades."

"That is a useful feature," Leo nodded, taking the small blade from Tello. "I would be honored to carry a small trinket of your brother with me. I will not take his swords but if you would help me add this to mine, I would be grateful."

"Anything special about your brother's sai?" Raph asked, pointing to the wall.

Tello shook his head. "They're the same as yours."

"You might want to keep the extra set on you since you keep throwing yours in battle," Leo teased.

It was Raph's turn to let out the sarcastic laugh.

Donny walked up to Tello. "What about your bo?"

Holding his bo away from the others, Tello pressed a button on one end of the staff and a blade came out of the other end. "I made a few modifications," he grinned. "I got tired of my bo getting broken all the time. Being the only one without a bladed weapon made things a little difficult when we were fighting the Kraang in their robot bodies. Running one through proved to be more effective than smacking it on the head."

"May I," Donny asked, extending his hand. With a slight nod, Tello handed his bo over. Donny twirled it in his hands to test the balance. "You managed to counter balance the added weight of the blade on one end."

"It took some trial and error," Tello admitted. "But I figured it out."

"I like my simple bo," Donny said, pressing the button to retract the blade. "I think the differences in our weapons say a lot about us. It's nice to know that we are not exactly the same."

"Yeah," Tello agreed, accepting his bo back as Donny handed it over.

"Does it make being here harder or easier for you?" Raph asked.

Tello shrugged. "It keeps me from letting myself slip into a state of insanity where I make myself believe that you are the family I lost, like I did with my robots. I am able to separate who you are from who they were. So I guess, in a way, it helps to make it easier."

"Let's start training," Splinter interrupted before they could continue down such a depressing topic. They all to turn towards him and bowed. Looking at Tello, Splinter added, "I will conduct my lessons as I usually do. It may be awkward for you at first but don't let it discourage you. In time you will get the routine down and everything will fall into place."

"I understand," Tello nodded.

"Good," Splinter said then turned to take his place to watch over their training. "We will start with some basic katas."

Tello squared his shoulders and moved through the katas as Splinter called them out. He let his mind slip into the familiar pattern of movements. He had to admit that it felt good to train again.


	22. Chapter 22

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 22

Words

Snow cooed from her crib, announcing that she was awake. She didn't usually cry unless she was made to wait too long. Her hand-made mobile with the wood cutouts of painted animals, from her uncle Mikey held her attention for a while. The hand knitted blanket from Raph had been kicked to the foot of the crib next to the only other item in the crib, her toy stuffed horse from Leonardo. It was kept tucked in the corner at the foot of the bed.

Kicking her feet, Snow continued to coo and gurgle as she waited for someone to come and get her. A smile spread across her face as Donatello's face came into view and her hand moved up to her mouth. "Ma ma ma," she managed around her fist.

"Are you hungry?" Donny asked as he lifted his daughter.

Before anything else could be done there was the matter of Snow's diaper. Donatello took her over to the changing table and got to work making sure she was clean, softly talking to her while he worked. Her chubby legs kicked out and her blue eyes stayed locked on Donny as she continued to suckle her hand. He had to keep one hand on her at all times to keep her from rolling off.

"This would go by faster if you didn't move so much," Donny chuckled as he secured the diaper. She gurgled in response around her tiny fist.

Down in the kitchen Donny moved around making Snow's breakfast while Snow sat in her Bumbo on the floor. She stayed occupied with the few Cheerios Donny had sprinkled on her tray. It took her a few tries to pinch one up with her finger and thumb but once she got a hold on one, she was able to get it to her mouth. Drool dribbled down her chin as she gummed the little oat cereal.

"Da da da," Snow babbled, reaching her hand out.

Donatello turned to see that Raph had entered the kitchen. With a soft smile, Donny bent down and, after quickly cleaning the tray, picked her up. "That's right," Donny whispered to her. "Da da."

"What?" Raph asked as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out the milk. He then proceeded to open the freezer to give Ice Cream Kitty her morning bowl of milk. "Make sure you drink it all before it freezes up." The ice cream cat meowed in response and started to drink her breakfast before Raph was done pouring it.

"Nothing," Donny replied, collecting Snow's breakfast and heading to the dinning cart. "I was just talking to Snow."

Donatello wouldn't say that Snow was a picky eater but she did have a preferred list of foods. Jarred baby food wouldn't do for her, only freshly mashed fruit and vegetables. Her favorites were bananas mixed with peaches and baby oatmeal and pureed spinach, peas, and rice.

There was a method to feeding her in order to keep the mess to a minimum. If it wasn't done right, Snow would put her fist in her mouth after each spoon full of food. As a result most of the food would dribble down her arm. To keep this from happening, her bottle had to be placed in her mouth after each bite. She would work the food around her mouth with the formula and swallow it down with little mess.

Donatello lifted another spoon full of the cereal mixture but Snow lifted her open hands and flipped them back and forth. With a slight nod of his head Donatello placed the spoon back into the bowl and started to clean up.

After Snow's breakfast was done, Donny headed back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a bagel. As Don was pouring his coffee, Mikey entered the kitchen. "Let me help you there, Don."

"Mie, Mie," Snow giggled as Donny relinquished her to Mikey.

"Be careful," Donny warned. "She just ate and she hasn't burped yet, so don't move her around too much or you'll end up with a face full of spit up."

"Got it," Mikey said and pulled Snow close so he could pat her back. "You're getting heavy," Mikey said softly as he gently bounced her. Snow lay comfortably over her uncle's shoulder while he helped to work the bubble out of her belly.

As Mikey bounced and patted, Donny walked over to place a burp cloth on Mikey's shoulder, just in case. It was a good thing too because it wasn't long before a little bit of her breakfast came back up accompanied with a small burp.

Mikey pulled her down off his shoulder and folded the cloth so that he could wipe Snow's mouth with a clean spot. "Is she safe now?"

"Safer," Donny chuckled.

Mikey made faces at Snow, eliciting squealing giggles from her while Donny spread cream cheese on a warm bagel. "Mie Mie Mie," Snow babbled and reached out for Mikey's face. She managed to grab hold of the dangling ends of Mikey's mask and pulled.

"Hay!" Mikey exclaimed as his mask shifted over his eyes. "If you wanted to play peekaboo all you had to do was ask." Reaching up he tried to pry her fingers apart but she kept her hold. "Donny, help! She's not letting go," Mikey shrieked.

Laughing, Donny placed his coffee and bagels on the counter. "I'm coming." He grabbed hold of Snow's hand and worked her fingers open. "Let it go, sweetie."

"Ma ma ma," Snow cooed as she reached for Donny.

Mikey straightened his mask. "I thought all she said was 'my my my'."

"She says several things," Donny smiled. "You just have to listen." Balancing Snow with one arm, Don collected his coffee and the bagels. "Sorry I won't be able to enjoy whatever you make for breakfast this morning, Mikey. I've got a busy schedule this morning. I'm gonna show Tello around the lab and get him familiar with what I've got going. I have a feeling that once he is up to speed, I will have a lot more free time on my hands."

"Two geniuses working on a project will get finished ten times faster," Mikey agreed with a nod.

"You're logic is sound," Donny winked, taking a sip of his coffee as he turned to leave.

Donny's next stop was the dojo in search of Tello. Since he was behind in his training, Leonardo had agreed to give Tello extra lessons in the mornings. It didn't take much to get Leo in the dojo for extra training. Donny knew that Leo was counting down the days to when he could finally start training Snow. He had caught Leo teaching Snow how to throw a punch on more than one occasion.

Don opened the dojo door to find Leo staring in shock. Following Leo's line of sight, Don saw what could have only been Tello tucked into his shell. Leo looked up at Don and gestured down at Tello. "We can't do that. How can he do that?"

Shrugging, Donny walked over and looked down at Tello. "Does it hurt?"

Poking his head out, Tello shook his head. "No." He then slid his arms and legs out and then stood up. "I will admit that it's a little cramped and hard to breathe but it's painless."

"I wish I had a way to take a ct scan of you while you were like that," Donny admitted.

"Maybe one day," Tello chuckled.

"Are you ready?" Donny asked. Then holding out the bagels he added, "I've got breakfast. There are several things I want to go over with you before I will feel comfortable with you working in the lab. It's not that I don't trust you or think you aren't smart enough to figure things out. It's just that I am particular about a few things."

"I understand," Tello nodded. "I'm the same way."

Donny smiled as he handed Snow over to Leo. "I have already cleared a spot out for you so that you will have your own space. It's a system Leatherhead and I have worked out. I have my work station and projects, he has his, and we have our team projects."

"I can't wait to get back to work," Tello admitted as they made their way out of the dojo.

"I guess it's just you and me now," Leo said to Snow.

"Le Le," She said with a giggle and a smile.

"What shall we do?" Leo smiled back, tickling her belly. "How about I tell you a story? I've got a great one about and honorable warrior who practiced bushido." He continued to speak in a soft even tone as he sat on the floor, holding Snow down in his lap so she could look up at him.

Snow loved to hear her uncle Leo's voice and her eyes stayed fixed on his lips as he formed his words. Sometimes she would babble as if she was trying to repeat what Leo had said. He was telling her the story of how Usagi had come to Splinter's aid when Drako had attacked out of jealousy.

As Leo told the story, Splinter joined them in the dojo. "You tell that story better than I ever have." He sat down next to Leo and smiled down at Snow.

"It is a good story, father," Leo replied.

Snow reached out to Splinter as he came into her view. "Ji Ji"

Splinter lifted his hand so Snow could grab hold of Splinter's finger. Tilting his head to the side, Leo considered Snow before looking at Splinter. "That strange. Earlier it sounded like she was saying 'Le' but now it sounds like she's saying 'Ji'."

"That's because I am her OJisan," Splinter replied, shaking the finger Snow was holding as he continued to look down at his granddaughter. "Donatello has been showing her pictures of our family and teaching her our names. She said 'Le' for you because she is trying to say 'Leo'."

"Oh," Leo looked back down at Snow. "I had no idea."

"He is also teaching her baby sign language," Splinter continued. "She is a smart girl and is picking up on it fast."

"Maybe she is ready for some training," Leo joked, leaning in close to give her Eskimo kisses.

"At least wait until she is walking," Leatherhead chuckled as he entered the dojo. "I'm sorry if I am interrupting anything but Donatello told me that I would find Snow in here with you. After breakfast we are going to have some tummy time."

"Pa Pa," Snow shrieked in joy, kicking her feet. Her pinky and thumb were stuck out from each fist and she flipped her hands back and forth.

"Yes, Snow." Leatherhead leaned down to pick her up. "We are going to play after I get something to eat." She cooed in delight and kicked her legs, repeating "Pa Pa" over and over.

"Breakfast!" Mikey bellowed from the kitchen.

"It was Michelangelo's turn to cook?" Leatherhead asked, turning towards the door.

"Yes," Leo answered as he stood up. He then turned to help Splinter stand.

Leatherhead chuckled softly. "That explains why Donatello chose today to introduce Tello to the lab." He looked down at Snow in his arms. "Mama has grown tired of scrambled eggs. That seemed to be the only breakfast food they could make at the Foot headquarters. Mama likes things sweet."

Leo laughed as he led the way out of the dojo. "I promise not to tell Mikey the truth."


	23. Chapter 23

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 23

Cat

Ice Cream Kitty mewed when Mikey opened the freezer door and Klunk mewed in response from her perch on top of the freezer. When Mikey first presented Ice Cream Kitty to Klunk, the orange cat hissed and swatted at the new mutant. It took a few weeks to get them used to each other and it wasn't easy. Now Mikey often found Klunk on top of the freezer pawing at the door in an attempt to get at her new friend.

After pulling the empty food bowl out and putting it in the sink, Mikey lifted Ice Cream Kitty from the freezer and placed her in a large mixing bowl. Tello had told him about all of the different things his brother had done with his beloved pet. So Mikey made sure to take time out of every day to give the mutant cat some time out of the freezer. The fact that she didn't suffocate in there still amazed Mikey.

Klunk jumped down and padded after Mikey as he walked out of the kitchen. Mikey led the way to his old room where he had set up an elaborate cat play area. The beginning stages of a play area, with a freezer unit in it, was sitting in the corner. Tello and Donny were going to attach it to Klunk's play area so that the two cats could play together without the fear of Ice Cream Kitty melting or Klunk getting too cold. They were planning on going to the junk yard that night to get the last few components they needed to finish it. Mikey was looking forward to the night out. It had been too long since the last time they left the lair.

Klunk jumped up onto the first platform and sat down to watch Mikey place Ice Cream Kitty next to her. Purring, Klunk rubbed her head against Ice Cream Kitty's and then they proceeded to lick each other.

"Try not to eat Ice Cream Kitty, Klunk," Mikey teased. Klunk never licked so much that there was ever any fear of her consuming Ice Cream Kitty but that didn't stop Mikey from joking about it. Oddly enough, Klunk never got sick from the dairy that made up Ice Cream Kitty's body.

The mutated cat was an interesting creature. She seemed to be an endless supply of ice cream and could be closed up in the freezer without needing any air. She was able to rid herself of any of Klunk's hair that got stuck in her creamy body. If she had any internal organs or digestive system she showed no sign of one. Though they fed her cream every day there was never any waste later. She did, however, melt so they had to be careful with time management when they had her outside of the freezer.

One thing Mikey knew for sure, Ice Cream Kitty was one happy cat. She loved it when Mikey pet her, leaning into the touch. When Mikey pulled his hand away, instead of hair, it was covered with ice cream. "I don't know which is worse," he mumbled as he wiped his hand on a towel. He had learned early on to keep one near at all times and to never pet Ice Cream Kitty before petting Klunk. It was just gross.

There was a knock at the door, followed by Leo poking his head into the room. "Can I come in?"

"Absolutely," Mikey answered as he finished wiping his hand. "I'm always happy to see my favorite brother. Did you need something?"

Entering the room, Leo closed the door behind him. "I was alone and I need to be in the same room as someone."

Mikey nodded his understanding. "You had another nightmare last night." Leonardo had opened up to his brother about his fears and the nightmares that haunted him. His nightmares were usually of Shredder and watching his brothers killed one by one. If it wasn't Shredder, it was Bishop. And though he hides it from the others, there was lingering pain from where Karai had stabbed him.

"We could have lost Donatello. Once again I stood there, watching another brother dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I think about what happened to Tello and I know we've come close…." Leo wasn't able to say anything more before Mikey held Klunk out for him.

"Pet the cat," Mikey stated flatly. He had a feeling that Tello's situation would trigger Leo's fears. Why wouldn't they? Tello had lived out the very thing that Leo had nightmares about. It was bound to have an effect on him. Mikey was going to do all he could to keep those fears from taking hold on Leo. Not again. "It does wonders for your stress levels. You'll feel it all melt away as she purrs in your lap. Cats are therapeutic."

"Okay," Leo replied as Mikey dumped Klunk into his arms. "I was hoping that we could talk. I'm not in the mood to play with your cat."

"Take her over there and play with her," Mikey ordered. "There is a box of toys for her. And if you really want a good laugh, give her the one with the catnip."

Mikey turned his attention back towards Ice Cream Kitty and held out a ball on a string for her. Looking over his shoulder, Mikey saw Leo absentmindedly stroking Klunk's head as he sat down. With a soft sigh, Mikey said, "Don't linger on it, Leo. We're fine. But if you need to get it out of your system, then go ahead and vent."

"Donny was captured and replaced with an unstable clone and Raph was almost killed," Leo argued, keeping his eyes on the floor. "Hun has a blood vendetta against us. Bishop wants to breed us so he can have his own little army of Turtles. I've watched two of my brothers teeter on the brink of death and I was powerless to help them. I wouldn't say that everything is fine."

"We're alive, Leo," Mikey countered. "Shredder is dead, vaporized. Karai is an ally, we just need to get everyone else on board with moving into the Food headquarters."

Leo looked up. "You would be willing to move?"

Mikey shrugged. "If Karai wanted to hurt us, she has had plenty of times to do it. I think her desire to be allies is legit. I wouldn't mind living in a secure location with other mutants and the possibility of love."

"The always open food court with its ice cream dispenser wouldn't have anything to do with your decision would it?" Leo quipped, managing a soft smile.

"It would be nice to not have to cook ever again," Mikey admitted. "Or do the dishes."

"You do realize that we wouldn't be allowed to freeload," Leo pointed out. "We would have to work."

Mikey turned to face Leo. "Wouldn't being a ninja be our job?"

"Yes, but I'm sure we would have chores, much like the ones we have here as well," Leo chuckled. "The dishes don't clean themselves. The Foot is a secret society. They can't hire a cleaning crew to do it all so they would have to use members of the Foot. I'm sure they have some sort of rotating schedule like we do."

Mikey moaned and Leo laughed.

"Besides," Leo continued. "Doing chores builds character."

Mikey rolled his eyes and snorted. "Signing up with the Foot doesn't sound so good now. That would be so many dishes."

"We would be safer," Leo pointed out, looking down once again as he ran his hand down Klunk's back. "I would lose my mind with grief if I ever lost one of you."

"You have to stop that, Leo." Mikey lifted Ice Cream Kitty's bowl and headed over to sit down next to Leo. "Stop going to the worst possible scenario. Look at what we have going for us instead. Donny is fine and he's stable, thanks to Tello. It might be a different body but it's still him and, you never know, we might get more babies out of him. We all love babies. We have Tello, that brings our resident genius count to three now, and he's bonded with Raph, which is doing wonders for the both of them. We'll be fine, Leo."

Leo rubbed the bridge of his beak. "I'm trying."

"I know," Mikey soothed. "You've been through a lot. It can't be easy for you as the leader of our little clan. You know that I'm here for you whenever you need to unburden yourself."

"I don't want to be a bother," Leo whispered.

"You're not," Mikey smiled. He placed his hand on Leo's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love you."

"I love you too." Leo leaned towards Mikey and they pressed their foreheads together. "Thank you."

"No problem, bro," Mikey said with a smile.

They sat together, playing with the cats until it was time to place Ice Cream Kitty back into the freezer. "When the two geniuses finish up your new play area, you won't have to be cooped up in that old freezer anymore," Mikey cooed to the mutant cat as he stood. "You'll have more freedom. But for now, let's get you back into the freezer before you become a puddle of goop."

Mikey got to the door and looked over his shoulder at Leo as he reached for the handle. "Feel free to stay in here with Klunk for as long as you like. Just remember that we are heading out to the junk yard later."

"I remember," Leo nodded as he rolled a ball across the floor and watched Klunk chase it. "I think I will stay in here a bit."

"Okay," Mikey replied then added with a grin, "You can clean the sticky remains of ICK out of Klunk's fur," and left to return Ice Cream Kitty to the freezer before Leo could respond.


	24. Chapter 24

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 24

Seeking Solace

Leonardo opened his eyes and was greeted by the dim light from the alarm clock and the sounds of Mikey sleeping next to him. Having his brother share the room with him, after all they had been through, helped to ease Leo's stress. However, as great as it was to have him around, there were times that Leo wanted to be alone. As a matter of fact it was exactly what he wanted that moment. Certain needs had to be met.

With a soft nudge, Leo attempted to gently wake his little brother. As expected, Mikey was deep asleep. Leonardo had no idea how Mikey could sleep so deeply. He was always so relaxed despite the training and the trauma he had lived through. It was one of the things Leo admired the most about his brother.

The stress plagued Leo every moment of his life. Maybe it was because Mikey didn't have the burden leadership that he was able to stay so carefree. Leo would gladly burden the stress if it meant that Mikey could continue to stay so innocent. It was that carefree nature that helped to keep Leo sane.

"Hey," Leo whispered harshly, shaking Mikey. "It's your turn to make breakfast."

Mikey moaned and buried his face in his pillow. "I'm making oatmeal in the slow cooker."

Rolling his eyes, Leo sat up in bed; just his luck. He wanted his morning to himself and Mikey set it up so that he could sleep in. There weren't many options open to Leo. It wasn't like he could do it in the shower; it was an open space where anyone could enter at any time. So the only option was the bedroom. Leo liked it better in the bedroom anyway. He had access to all that he needed and there was a small sink to clean up afterwards. He just needed the room to himself. He knew Mikey was going to get the hint. A thing that Leo would rather Mikey not know about. Leo heaved a deep sigh. "I would like to be alone this morning."

Mikey turned his head enough to look up at Leo. A knowing smile spread across his beak. "Alright. I'll get up." It was one of the biggest down sides to sharing a room. Most of the time, Leo knew when Mikey was… pleasuring himself and vice versa.

"Thanks," Leo mumbled as Mikey got up.

"I'll use my extra time to candy some nuts for the oatmeal or something." Mikey yawned, stretching as he did. "Don would like that. I wonder if Tello has as big a sweet tooth as Donny-boy does."

"You could ask him," Leo said as he got out of bed.

"I'm going," Mikey replied and headed for the door. Locking the nob on the way out, Mikey looked over his shoulder and grinned at Leo. "Don't make a mess. I don't want to sleep on sticky sheets." Mikey shut the door before Leo could stammer out a reply.

Leo walked over and checked the door just to be sure that it was locked before he pulled out his laptop and headphones. It was bad enough Mikey knew what he was going to be doing, he didn't need the others knowing that he did it to porn. He didn't watch the porn as much as listen to it. The rough demands of the women turned him on. It was a part of himself he never wanted his family to know about.

The files on his computer were hidden as best as he knew how and the computer was password protected on top of that. The only one who could hack into his computer was Donny and Leo trusted him not to. In fact, Donatello was so trust worthy that if Leo needed any work done on his laptop he knew that he could trust his brother to fix it without going through his private files.

After setting up his laptop, Leo pulled out his box from its hiding spot. He didn't know where Mikey's was, nor did he care to. Each of them got a box from Donatello a few years ago, along with a laptop. Donny knew that they all had needs that weren't being met and did his best to make sure that they could satisfy them on their own.

The boxes contained a few sex toys, including a fleshlight, and lubricant. All they had to do when they used up their bottle of lubricant was take the empty bottle to Don to get a replacement. He kept himself adequately supplied. The laptops have tough firewall software that would help protect them from getting any malware. Every so often Donny asked for them back to perform updates and to make sure they were free of any viruses.

Leonardo pulled out the fleshlight and his bottle of lubricant. He could tell by the weight of the bottle he was getting close to needing a new one. He hated going to Donny for more. He would have preferred to keep this sort of thing private. The less they knew the better. These little subtle announcements to his brothers were embarrassing.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Leonardo got everything ready. As much as he wished he could simply meditate the urges away, he couldn't.

He squeezed some lubricant into the fleshlight and placed it on the bed, under a pillow to hold it in place. He then slipped the headphones on and pressed play on his laptop. "Oh yeah…. Fuck me!" the woman's voice came over the headphones. He listened to the woman's urging voice as he slid into the slick silicone. Closing his eyes he focused on the sensation and the words. "Is that all you got?" the woman demanded. "Harder!" And Leo complied. "Oh right there," the woman continued. "Fuck me right there. Oh shit yeah."

Leo's fingers dug into the sheets as he reached climax. He held his breath against the churr so he would not announce to the lair what he was doing. He had a brief moment of disappointment that such a foul mouth could set him off like it did. But it was what he liked and he prayed that no one ever found out about it.

…..

Tello sat in the small shrine with his back against the wall, just under Mikey's shell, staring at the picture of his family. Closing his eyes he reminisced. He could still hear Mikey's laugh, see his big blue eyes as he looked up at him in utter confusion, and then the times when he surprised them all with his intuition.

A sad smile crossed Tello's beak as he remembered the time they shot Raph with arrows while insulting him. He was so quick to anger and insult but he also expressed the deepest level of compassion.

And then there was Leo. He was such a dork but he was also dedicated and forced to grow up too fast. They all were. They just wanted to have fun that first day they went to the surface. They didn't want to be thrust into a war. Part of him wished that they had never asked their father to be allowed to go up. But what would have happened to the rest of the world if they hadn't? Would Shredder have been able to stop the invasion? Would he have cared enough to? Why was it their burden to bear?

He couldn't help but wonder if liberating his brothers' remains had helped them at all to be a peace. He looked up at Leo's shell, on the center wall, at all the scars from his torture. There was a thick hole on the upper left side of Raph's. The one on his plastron had been bigger, but Shredder didn't keep that part.

Why did those memories always force themselves to the surface when he was trying to remember the happier times? He wanted to remember their laughter, not their screams or cries for help.

"Donatello," Splinter's voice echoed from just beyond the curtain. "I can sense your distress." Pulling the curtain aside, Splinter looked down at Tello. "Come with me."

With a slight nod of his head, Tello wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up. He followed Splinter into the dojo. "Meditate with me," Splinter said as he pulled the orb from its spot on the shelf and placed it on the floor.

Tello took his spot on the mat and focused his mind on the orb and his family.

"I know your mind is troubled right now, but try to think of them at their best," Splinter instructed, softly. "It will give them the strength they need to come to you whole."

Tello felt the orb reach out to him and did not hesitate to reach back. It was like a wave washed over him and surrounded him in warmth.

"Donnie!" he heard Mikey call out to him. "Have I got news for you." Tello smiled as Mikey came into view and rushed forward for a warm hug. "There are other turtles here from other worlds who are also waiting to be born into your world. We've been sharing stories and getting to know each other. One group said that they knew the Donatello from your world. They all died later in life or quickly and were able to handle it better so they won't carry their scars with them."

"Mikey," Leo hissed out a warning. "You can't give too much away. We don't want to chance messing all of this up."

"Sorry," Mikey mumbled, looking down at his feet. "I'm gonna miss having three toes."

Raph came up and smacked Mikey on the back of the head. "Shut up."

"Ouch," Mikey complained, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up at Donnie. "Can you believe that it still hurts when they hit me, even here in the spirit world?"

Tello laughed at his brothers' antics. "You all look well."

Leo nodded. "The shrine you build helped to build our strength."

"Oh good," Tello sighed and then tilted is head to the side. "You know about that?"

"Yeah," Raph nodded. "We know. When you cremated Splinter's pelt he was able to enter into his next life."

"Is it Karai's child, like Miwa thinks?" Tello asked.

"Yeah," Leo nodded. "I think it's safe to tell you that now."

"What about Shen?" Tello asked. "Has she left for her new life?"

Leo and Raph shared a look before Raph answered. "She has to wait a few years before she is able to go. And we can't tell you where she is going."

"I understand," Tello nodded. Smiling he reached out to Leo and rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I'm just glad you are doing better. How are the others?"

"April and Casey are getting ready to go," Leo answered. "April's death was kind of quick so she won't be affected as much. Casey, on the other hand, suffered for a while so… he will. Leatherhead's decided that he didn't want to be reborn so he has moved on. And Slash is just waiting for his time to go. He's going to be reborn about the same time we are."

"Is it soon?" Tello dared to ask.

"We've got a while," Mikey answered with a shrug. "We can't tell you anything more than that."

"But you'll tell me," Tello pleaded. "You'll tell me before you go? I don't want to come back here to find that you all are gone. I want to be able to say goodbye."

"We'll tell you," Raph reassured him. "I promise."

"You should probably go," Mikey said as he put a hand on his chest. "It's getting hard for me to breathe."

Tello turned to Mikey and pulled him into his arms. "Is it because I'm here? Are you getting tired again?"

"No," Raph answered. "Being tired only makes it hard for us to hide our scars. Every so often, we relive our deaths. It's a spirit thing, I guess. We won't be able to hold our concentration while it happens. You'll be able to see the scars that our deaths have left on our souls."

"I don't want to go through it again," Mikey said in a panic and Tello held him tighter. "I don't like not being able to breathe. It hurts."

"You should go," Leo said, placing his hand on Tello's shoulder. "Mikey's is kind of long. You shouldn't have to go through it again. And aside from that, like Raph said, you'll be able to see our scars."

Tello shook his head. "I wasn't able to comfort Mikey then. I'm not going to leave him now." Mikey gasped for air and stopped breathing. His knees buckled and Tello guided him to the ground, still cradling him in his arms. Mikey's eyes were fogged over and his skin was ashen. He looked as if his dead body had just been pulled out of the river. "I've got you, Mikey."

Mikey gasped and clung to Tello. "Don't let them send me back down," he pleaded before he held his breath again. It felt as if they were underwater. It felt real enough that Tello almost started to hold his breath. But he knew it was just in his mind. He was safe in the lair, in the dojo with Splinter next to him. It wasn't real. He could breathe.

"I'm here, Mikey," Tello soothed. "It isn't real. It's just a vivid memory." He looked over his shoulder at his brothers, who were frozen in place like they couldn't do anything else. Blood seeped from Raph's ears and his eyes were gone. Leo somehow still managed to concentrate enough to hide his scars. Tello looked back down at Mikey and held his little brother's head with both hands in an attempt to get Mikey to look at him. "It isn't real Mikey. Breathe. You're not under water. It's all in your head." He looked back at his brothers. "You're not in cages. Snap out of it!" Pressing his forehead against Mikey's, Tello screamed, "Breathe!"

Mikey gasped and grabbed hold of Tello. "It's just in my head," he rasped out. "It's not real."

"You don't have to relive it," Tello soothed. "Think of a good time. Remember being out at the farm, being able to run out in the open field and bask in the sun?"

Mikey nodded his head. "That was nice." The sensation of being underwater started to fade and it was replaced with the feeling of warmth. Some of the color returned to Mikey and he looked up at Tello with is bright blue eyes. "I remember the first time we looked up at the stars. There were so many in the sky. It was so beautiful." It didn't last and Mikey's color once again started to fade but at least he was calm.

"And then the fireflies as they started to dance around us made it look like we were surrounded by the stars." Tello fought the urge to cry as he continued to hold on to Mikey. "And then one landed on your nose. We both started laughing."

"Thank you, Donnie," Mikey whispered, curling into Tello's arms.

"We don't have to relive our deaths," Raph said, dropping to his knees behind Tello. "We can fight against it."

"You really helped us today, Donnie," Leo stated, placing his hand on Tello's shoulder. "But we are all starting to get tired. You don't want to see me when I get too tired to hide my scars. It's not a pretty sight."

"Okay," Tello nodded. "I'll go. I'm glad you're doing better."

"We'll see you later, Donnie," Raph said and collected Mikey from Tello. "We'll be okay."

Pulling himself away from the orb, Tello opened his eyes. Splinter reached over and placed his hand over Tello's. "Did it help?"

"Yeah," Tello nodded. "It did."


	25. Chapter 25

TMNT 100 Theme

Chapter 25

Pain

When Raphael opened his eyes he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He knew it was a bad idea to skip his pills the night before but he was low and was unable to go out for more. When he tried to move his whole body was stiff with pain and a full body shiver overcame him.

"You okay?" Tello asked, propping himself up to look down at Raph. "You don't look so hot."

"Some mornings my body is a little stiffer than others," Raph replied. "It all depends on the level of activity from the previous day." It wasn't entirely a lie. Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly while he forced his body to move. "I'll be a little slow but once I start moving I'll get better."

"Okay," Tello said with a slight nod. He waited for Raph to work his way out of the hammock, assisting him when needed, and then got up. "Do you need any help?"

"No," Raph waved him off and tried to hide the fact that the simple act hurt. "You go on down to breakfast. I'm gonna do a few stretches to get my muscles warmed up and then I'll join you."

"Alright," Tello said as he headed to the door. "If you're sure."

Raph forced a smile. "I'll be fine." He waited for Tello to leave before allowing himself to wince in pain. By sheer will and determination, Raph made it over to where he had his pills hidden. He dumped four into his hand and looked into the bottle to count how many he had left. There were only ten so he put one back. It was going to be a rough day. He had to somehow make it out tonight to get more.

He managed to make it through breakfast well enough. Any time someone asked him if he was alright he simply answered that he was stiff from the day before. They all chided him for pushing himself too hard. He quipped back, "How else am I supposed to get better if I don't push my limits?"

By the time they entered the dojo for morning practice the drugs had fully kicked in. Since he had only taken three he was still a little stiff but not enough to slow him down. He was even able to beat Mikey and Don a few times. It was a good boost to his ego.

"Don't overdo it, Raph," Leo chided. Splinter had let Leonardo oversee the training for that morning. It was his way of slowly passing full control of the clan to Leonardo. He managed himself well in the role. It helped that Raph cooperated more than he did when they were younger. If Splinter had tried this three years ago, Raph would have given Leo a run for his money. But now, Raph was glad to see his brother taking over the head of the family. One thing was for sure, Raph didn't want it. Not anymore.

"I'm fine, Leo," Raph replied. "I know my limits. I might be stiff in the morning but that's what comes with building muscle. I've been through all of this before. I'm not going to overdo it."

"Good," Leo said, nodding his head. "And, it's good to see that you are almost back to your old self."

"Almost?" Raph turned and faced Leo. "I think I'm better."

Leo smiled as he stepped forward. "Oh?" His moves were graceful and calculated. Even though Leo's body looked relaxed, Raph could tell that he was ready to move at a moment's notice. It was time for another test and this time, Raph was determined to pass.

"Yeah." Raph moved into a stance. Neither of them had their weapons so that meant that Leo wanted to test Raph's hand to hand combat. That was fine with Raph. He liked getting up close and personal in a fight.

"Let's test that theory. Shall we?" Leo moved with such speed that it almost took Raph off guard. Where Leonardo was the water, Raphael was the mountain. Though he was fast, by most standards, Raph wasn't as fast as his brothers due to his bulk. But he was stronger and a strike against his solid muscle was painful for the attacker. He could deflect or absorb hits with ease and wait for an opening.

Of course Leo knew this. Being the leader it was his job to know each of their strengths and weaknesses. Despite the fact that Raph was still recovering in Leo's eyes, he wasn't about to hold back. Like before, Leo wanted to test Raph's ability. He would determine whether or not Raph was ready.

The fight was an even match and they each got in a few good hits. But in the end, Leo was the victor. Raph knelt on the ground, his chest heaving with each breath. His eye stayed fixed on Leo as he waited for his verdict. The one thing Raph knew he was going to take away from the fight was that Leo was as winded as he was.

A smile spread across Leo's beak as he nodded his head. "Alright. You were right. You're now fighting at the same level, if not better, than before the attack."

Dropping his head, Raph heaved a deep sigh and fought the overwhelming urge to cry. It meant that he would be included in patrols more often and would be allowed to fight. When he looked up again Leo was there with an extended hand. Raph accepted the help up. "Thank you." There was so much in those two little words, so much for him to be grateful for.

After practice they headed to the shower. They took turns scrubbing each other's carapaces with a rough brush. It was a good way to insure that they got all of the grime out and the fact that it felt good didn't hurt. The group shower had been a little intimidating for Tello in the first few weeks since arriving. He was used to showering on his own. Over time, he grew more comfortable and now he joined in the occasional banter and roughhousing. The more Raph talked to Tello the more he wondered how different his life would have been if Splinter had been a mutated human instead of a mutated rat.

When they finished their shower Raph headed down to the kitchen to get something to eat and was met by the smell of freshly baked cookies. He headed for the platform and heard voices coming from the dining car. A smile spread across his face as he rushed in to greet his guest.

"Mrs. M!" Raph said and went straight for her. "When did you get here?" Mrs. Morrison was sitting at the table drinking tea with April and Casey. A plate piled high with snickerdoodle cookies sat in the middle of the table. After giving Mrs. Morrison a kiss on the cheek, Raph grabbed a couple of cookies.

"You boys were still in the dojo practicing," she answered. "I had called Mr. and Mrs. Jones this morning and asked them if they could bring me here."

"We called Master Splinter to see if it would be okay," April added. "We wanted it to be a bit of a surprise for you."

"Thank you," Raph said as he sat next to Mrs. Morrison. He missed being able to go visit her regularly. It was too dangerous to make it a regular thing now. Besides the fact that Raph was forbidden to go out on his own, if Bishop ever found out about her, he could use her to get to the Turtles. Raph would do anything to keep her safe.

"I wanted to visit with you for a while," she said with a smile. "That and I wanted to finally meet that baby of yours."

Raph was on his feet as soon as Mrs. Morrison mentioned Snow. "I'll go get her now."

He rushed up the stairs to where Leatherhead was watching Snow while she played. "Da Da," Snow cooed as soon as Raph entered the room and her arms shot up towards him.

"Hey, baby girl." Raph reached down and picked her up, kissing her plump cheek. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who might that be?" Leatherhead asked.

"Mrs. Morrison," Raph replied as he made his way out of the room. "You should come down and meet her too. There're cookies on the table." Raph didn't wait for Leatherhead to respond. He was out the door and back down the stairs as fast as he could go.

His brothers were already in the dining cart by the time he returned. It was a good thing he had already nabbed a few of the cookies. The once full plate now sat empty. Raph walked over and glared down at Mikey, who had occupied the seat next to Mrs. Morrison. "Move."

"You see?" Mikey complained as he got up. "He can be mean." Raph swatted Mikey's arm. "He just hit me," Mikey said, not moving from his spot.

"Mikey," Raph growled, in no mood to deal with Mikey's antics. Mrs. Morrison was special to him, his surrogate grandmother, his peace and he didn't want Mikey moving in.

Mrs. Morrison reached over and placed her hand on Mikey's knee. "Be a dear and let Raphael sit there. I would like him near as I am introduced to the baby to help keep her calm."

"Alright," Mikey relented and got up. Raph glared at him the whole time and made sure to wordlessly make it clear that Mikey was in for a painful payback later. As soon as his brother was out of the way, Raph sat down and scooted the chair closer to Mrs. Morrison.

"This is Mrs. Morrison," Raph said softly to Snow. "She is a dear friend of mine."

Gently, Raph placed Snow on Mrs. Morrison's lap. The child's head swiveled up and her blue eyes studied the old woman's face as Mrs. Morrison's hands moved to examine Snow. "She is a good size."

"Considering how small she was when she was born, she has grown a lot." Raph agreed.

"Turtle and Crocodile babies tend to be a good deal smaller than their parents," Mrs. Morrison stated as a matter of fact.

"It was a good thing she was so small," Donny added before taking a sip of his coffee as Leatherhead entered the dining cart. "If she were the size of a human baby, I don't think I would have been able to give birth to her. My hips aren't made to separate." He pulled out a few cookies that he had been hiding in his lap and handed them to Leatherhead.

Snow babbled up at Mrs. Morrison as if trying to have a conversation. Mrs. Morrison smiled and softly replied with things like, "Is that right?" and "You don't say". A wide, toothless smile spread across Snow's face every time she got a reply out of Mrs. Morrison.

"You have such a sweet voice," Mrs. Morrison said to her. "And you are such a sweet baby."

"It's hard to believe she's Raph's," Mikey quipped, earning himself a warning glare from Raph. "Maybe she gets it from Donny," he dared to continue. Mikey sure liked to press his luck. It was a good thing for Mikey that there was nothing in the area that Raph dared to throw and that he was currently sitting out of Raph's reach.

They sat and talked for about another hour. Snow remained in Mrs. Morrison's lap the whole time. Donny had even let Mrs. Morrison feed Snow her lunch. It was a good visit, enough to help get Raph's mind off the pain. But it was over too soon.

As they said their goodbyes, Raph thanked Casey and April for bringing her over. "Make sure she gets home safe."

"We will," Casey assured him. "We're not going to take her directly home. We've got it all planned out so we don't risk her being seen with us. We're going to make our way to one of the other subway stations that is close to her home. I'll be back later today and we can watch the game together."

"That sounds good," Raph nodded. "I'll see you around four then. It's Leo's turn to cook so come hungry."

"Oh?" April chimed in. "If that's the case, I think I will be stopping by later on tonight as well. There's some things I want to go over with Don anyway."

They led Mrs. Morrison out while Donny took Snow to get her ready for her nap. Raph turned and saw Mikey making his way up the stairs and ran up after him. With a squeal of terror Mikey ran up the steps, taking three at a time. Raph wasn't really going to hurt his brother but it was fun to make him think that he was.


End file.
